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SENECA  FALLS 


HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


1906 


Papers   read   before   the 


Seneca  Falls 
Historical  Society 


For  the   year    J  906* 


*  XDC 


Author. 


Officers. 


Harrison   Chamberlain President 

H.   A.   Carmer „ Vice-President 

A.  W.  GOLDER ! Secretary 

E.  W.   Medden : _.Treasurer 

Janet  Cowing Librarian 


Harrison  Chamberlain 
Hermon  A.  Carmer 
Sheldon  F.  Frazier 


Trustees. 

E.  William  Medden 
Belle  Teller 
W.  H.  Beach 


Albert  W.  Golder 
Janet  Cowing 
Lillias  R.  Sanford 


Addison,  E.  W. 
Addison,  Mrs.  E.  W. 
Arnold,  H.  L.  D. 
Beach,  B.  F. 
Beach,  Mrs.B.  F. 
Beach,  W.  H. 
Brown,  Miss  W. 
Beck,  Mrs.  S. 
Brim,  A.  W. 
Brim,  Mrs.  A.  W. 
Cary,  Mrs.  t,.  H. 
Chamberlain,  H. 
Clarke,  Rev.  W.  B. 
Clarke,  Jessie 
Cowing,  Janet 
Carmer,  H.  A. 
Carmer,  Mrs.  H.  A. 
Cowing,  Mrs.  Adaline 
Crosby,  Mrs.  May 
Drake,  Linda  T. 
Elwell,  W.  P. 
Elwell,  Mrs.  W.  P. 
Frazier,  Rev.  S.  F. 
Gay,  Mrs.  A.  S. 
Gay,  J.  Sedgwick 
Golder,  A.  W. 


IVTerrilDers. 

Golder,  Mrs.  A.  W. 
Henion,  Anna 
Haney,  Mrs.  A.  P. 
Hopkins,  Jessie 
Kibbey,  Mrs.  Samuel 
King,  D.  D. 
Kellogg,  Ross 
Lester,  Dr.  Fred 
Lienhart,  Mrs.  H. 
Lawless,  Mrs. 
Maier,   Emma 
Medden,  E.  Wm. 
Medden,  Mrs.  E.  Wm. 
O'Connell,  Miss  Anna  L. 
Palmer,  Miss  Belle 
Pollard,  Miss  Charlotte 
Pollard,  Thomas  W. 
Pollard,  W.  J. 
Pollard,  Mrs.  W.  J. 
Pontius,  G.  W. 
Sanford,  L.  G. 
Sanford,  Mrs.  L.  G. 
Silsby,  Mrs.  M.  R. 
Stahl,  Ida  May 
Smith,  Rev.  P.  E. 
Smith,  Mrs.  P.  E. 


Swaby,  Mrs.  A.  G. 
Seymour,  Miss  M.  V. 
Somers,  Mrs.  Ralph,  Jr. 
Schoonmaker,  Dr.   H. 
Schoonmaker,  Mrs.  H. 
Simson,  Nellie 
Simson,  Frances 
Taylor,  Rev.  A.  W. 
Taylor,  Mrs.  A.  W. 
Teller,  Mrs.  A.  M. 
Teller,  Claribel 
Teller,  Fred 
Trautman  M.  Edith 
Trautman,  Mrs.  P. 
Tyler,  Bertha  B. 
Tyler,  Charlotte 
Vreeland,  Addie  May 
Vreeland,  Ora 
Wetmore,  Mrs.  S.  Adaline 
Wetmore,  Edith 
Waldorf,  Dr.  H.  S. 
Wicks,  Jennie 
Williams,  Mrs. 
Wentz,  John 


Unimsify  of  the  State  of  new  Vork 


Charter  of 

Seneca  falls  l)i$torical  Society 


Whereas  a  petition  for  incorporation  by  the  University  has  been  duly 
received  containing  satisfactory  statements  under  oath  as  to  the  objects,  plans, 
property  and  provisions  for  maintenance  of  the  proposed  corporation. 

Therefore  being  satisfied  that  all  requirements  prescribed  by  law  or 
University  ordinance  tor  such  an  Association  have  been  fully  met  and  that 
public  interests  justify  such  action,  the  regents  by  virtue  of  the  authority  con- 
ferred upon  them  by  law  hereby  incorporate 

Harrison  Chamberlain,         E.  William  Medden,  Albert  W.  Golder, 

Hermon  A.  Carmer,  Belle  Teller,  Janet  Cowing. 

Sheldon  F.  Frazier,  H.  Grant  Person,  L,illias  R.  Sanford. 

and  their  succcessors  in  .fl&oce  under  the  corporate  name  of  Seneca  Falls  His- 
torical Society. 

This  Corporation  shall  be  located  at  Seneca  Falls,  Seneca  County,  New 
York. 

Its  first  trustees  shall  be  the  nine  incorporators  above  named. 

Its  object  shall  be  the  study  of  local  and  general  history  and  the  acquire- 
ment and  preservation  of  papers  and  other  articles  of  local  historical  interest 
and  the  territory  of  its  principal  work  shall  be  Seneca  Cotinty. 

In   witness  whereof   the  Regents  grant  this   charter 
No.  1669  under  seal  of  the  University,  at  the  Capitol 
[seal]  in  Albany,  June  27,  1894. 

A.  S.  DRAPER, 

Recorded  and  took  efifect  at  3:45  p.  m.,  June  27.  1904.  Com.  of  Education. 


INDEX 


HISTORICAL  PAPERS 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  by  A.  W.  Colder. 

Early  Flouring  Mills 

School  District  No.  1 1 

Trinity  Church 

Early  Industries 

Early  Salesmen 

Banking  Hoqses 


PAGES 

I-  4 

H.  Chamberlain 5-14 

Stephen   Monroe IS"26 

Gen.  G.  M.  Guion 27-34 

H.  Chamberlain 35-39 

B.  F,  Beach •  .  40-41 

H.  Chamberlain 42-47 


BIOGRAPHIES 


John  P.  Cowing 

(Gleason  &  Bailey  Mfg.  Co.). 

Jacob  P.  Chamberlain 

Capt.  Oren  Tyler 


48-51 

52-53 
54-5S 
59-60 


Jacob  Crowninshield 6i. 


Deming   Boardman . 
Sanderson  Family. . 

Swaby  Family 

Thomas  Carr 

W.  B.  Lathrop 

Matthew  Sisson . .  • . 
W.  R.  Powell 


63-64 
65-68 
69-71 
72 
73 
74-75 
76-77 


Record  of  ilie  meltioflisi  Episcopal  cnurcli 


By      f\. 


WJ. 


GOLDER 


In  about  the  year  1797  the  lirst  re- 
ligious meeting;  ever  held  m  vSeneca 
]'"alls  was  conducted  b}^  a  Methodist 
preacher.  This  was  six  or  eight  years 
after  the  fust  permanent  settler  had 
located  here.  Soon  after  the  forma- 
tion ol  the  County  of  vSeneca  (1804) 
the   vSeneca  Circuit    was    formed    em- 


was  no  framed  house  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river.  The  class  had  for 
members  Case  Cole,  Natlianiel  Sweet, 
Mr.  Whitman  and  ]\Ir.  Klynn  and  their 
wives.  Subsec|uent  meetings  were 
held  in  the  basement  of  a  !'ramed 
dwelling-  on  Canal  street,  west  of  Case 
Cole's  resideftce.     This  class  was  fin- 


0/1/  J/.  E.  Chiorli  on  llic  si(c  of  the picseiit  s/nict/tn 


bracing  the  entire  county  and  some 
unoccupied  territory  adjoining.  From 
that  date  and  for  many  years  circuit 
preachers  made  regular  appointments 
here  from  four  to  six  weeks  apart  and 
afterwards  oftener.  Trior  to  1812a 
^.'ethodist  class  held  meetings  in  the 
log  house  of  one  Case  Cole  situated 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  Ovid  and 
Bayard  streets.     At   that   time    there 


ally  broken  up  by  the  removal  of  all 
its  members,  but  during  the  period  of 
its  discontinuance  a  flourishing  class 
existed  at  the  house  of  Moses  Gard- 
ner, on  the  Hlack  Brook  road  and 
another  at  Canoga.  so  that  tlie  work 
continued  in  one  or  the  other  places. 
In  182S  another  class  was  formed  and 
held  meetings  at  a  place  nearly  oppo- 
site  the  Franklin    House    on    Bridge 


street,  the  home  of  Peter  Marcelleous. 
Belonging  to  this  class  were  Peter 
Marcelleous  and  wife,  his  sister  Marx- 
Ann,  Phoebe  Petty  afterward  Mrs. 
Schoonoven,  Jane  Moore  afterward 
i\Irs.  Stearns,  Mrs.  Pitcher  and  Cath- 
erine Mead  afterward  Mrs.  McKee. 
The  class  was  soon  augmented  by  ad- 
dition of  members  from  the  Black 
Brook  class  so  thai  at  the  time  of  Ihe 
building  of  the  tirst  church  edifice  in 
1830  it  numbered  twenty-five  mem- 
bers. On  January  6,  1S29,  "The 
Seneca  Falls  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church"  was  incorporated 
bj'  the  election  of  Ansel  Bascom, 
James  Essex,  Joseph  Metcalf,  Stephen 
B.  Gay  and  Peter  Marcelleous  as 
trustees,  the  election  being  certified 
to  by  John  M.  Odell  and  James  PCssex, 
who  presided  at  the  meeting"  held  at 
the  home  of  Benjamin  Kenney.  In 
the  March  following  the  town  of  Sene- 
ca Falls  was  formed  of  this  board  of 
trustees.  Bascom  and  Gay  were  not 
members  of  the  church,  and  Joseph 
Metcalf  was  the  only  freeholder. 
During  this  year  steps  were  taken  to- 
ward building  a  church  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  the  society.  A  sub- 
scription paper  was  circulated  headed- 
by  Joseph  Metcalf  for  $200  and  An- 
drew Brown  $25.  All  other  sub.scrip- 
tions  were  smaller.  On  July  30,  1S30, 
the  deed  of  the  present  church  lot, 
designated  on  map  as  lot  No.  83,  was 
executed  by  Mr.  Wilhelmus  Mynderse 
and  presented  to  the  society.  The 
trustees  mentioned  in  the  conveyance 
^re  Joseph  Metcalf  John  Lsaac,  An- 
drew Brown.  John  McWheaton  and 
Andrew  Marcelleous.  Rev.  Mr.  Kent 
was  preacher  in  charge  of  the  circuit 
and  Abner  Chase  was  presiding  elder 
about  the  time  of  the  organization  of 
this  class,  among  its  members  being 
Joseph  Metcalf  and  wife,  Andrew 
Brown  and  wife,  James  E.ssex  (E.x- 
horter),  Moses  Gardner,  Peter  and 
Henry  Marcelleous,  Mr.  Blaisdell, 
Mrs.  Pearson  and  daughter,  Polly. 
The  church  edifice,  which  was  of  brick, 
was  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1S30 
and  amid  discouragements  from  lack 
of  iunds,  arose  to  being  enclosed  and 
roofed  before  winter.   Rude  seats  were 


provided  and  revival  meetings  held 
which  resulted  in  adding  seventy 
members  to  the  society.  This  made 
them  more  courageous  and  hopeful. 
Peter  and  Henry  Marcelleous  being 
carpenters  offered  to  work  on  the 
church  without  pay  during  the  w-inter 
providing  the  society  would  support 
their  families  with  provisions  to  live 
upon  while  thej-  were  thus  engaged. 
Their  proposition  was  accepted  and  a 
team  was  sent  out  from  time  to  time 
io  secure  supplies  for  the  families. 
Joseph  MetCalf  became  personally  re- 
sponsible for  building  material  and 
thus  the  building  was  completed  at  a 
cost  of  $3,000.  Mr.  Deming  Board- 
man,  grandfather  of  the  present 
trustee,  J.  Deming  Boardman,  was  in- 
defatigable in  his  work  of  constructing 
the  church  and  was  trustee  and  class 
leader.  These  two  famil}^  names  still 
appear  on  the  church  membership  re- 
cords. On  April  22  of  the  same  year. 
(  1831)  the  village  was  incorporated. 
In  1S33  the  society  had  gained  suffi- 
cient to  be  detached  from  the  circuit. 
On  the  iSth  of  August  of  the  next 
year  (1S34)  Levi  Rogers  and  wife  ex- 
ecuted a  deed  of  the  lot  on  Chapel 
street,  (No.  6  on  map  of  1833)  for  a 
parsonage  and  presented  the  same  to 
the  trustees  to  hold  in  trust  for  that 
purpose.  On  September  1,  1857,  a 
contract  was  let  for  remodeling  and 
enlarging  the  church  at  a  cost  of 
nearly-  .*3,ooo.  This  was  under  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  A.  N.  Filmore  and 
the  trustees  were  Willard  Metcalf, 
Samuel  Smith,  Francis  W.  Henr\\ 
Robert  C.  Sickels,  George  Roberts, 
( Veorge  VanAlstine,  PI.  H.  Heath.  I).' 
L  Campbell  and  Michael  Ernsberger. 
In  this  church  the  society  worshipped 
fourteen  yeais.  In  1871,  during  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  I{.  P.  Huntington, 
the  old  church  was  demolished  and 
an  entirely  new  one  erected  at  a  cost 
of  .*2 1, 000,  Richard  and  Henry  Golder 
being  the  contractors  for  mason  work 
and  Elijah  Adair  for  carpentering.  It 
was  dedicated  July  24.  1S72.  Bishop 
Ciilbert  Haven,  of  Boston,  Rev.  Wni. 
Lloyd  and  former  Presiding  Elder 
Rev.  R.  Hogoboom,  conducted  the 
dedicatorv    ,services.      The    trustees, 


were  Jacob  P.  Cliatnberltiiii,  Kdnioiul 
Worden,  Peter  M.  Westbrook,  Michael 
Hosteraiid  Aug^nstus  Metcalf.  Those 
contributing  one  thousand  dollars  or 
more  were  Deniino-  Boardnian.  Hd- 
inond  Worden,  Peter  M.  Westbrook, 
Michael  Hester,  Henry  Hoster,  Har- 
rison Chamberlain,  Jacob  P.  Cham- 
berlain and  Thomas  Compson,  Mr. 
Boardnian       contributing      the     first 


lain.  In  1S76  the  records  showed  a 
membership  of  270  with  250  scholars 
in  the  Sundaj-  school.  In  1882  dur- 
ing the  pastorate  of  Rev.  A.  N.  Da- 
mon the  auditorium  was  refurnished 
with  new  and  commodious  seating, 
the  altar  and  pulpit  rebuilt,  and  the 
lloor  recarpeted,  the  total  expense  be- 
'"&$''50"'  one-fourth  of  which  was 
given  by  Gen.  Henry  T.  Noj-es,     The 


1  ill'  Pirsl  Methodist  Episcopal  Onircli 


thousand.  The  building  was  su- 
perintended personally  by  Mr.  J. 
P.  Chamberlain.  It  has  a  seating 
capacity  of  about  five  hundred.  In 
1873  the  parsonage  was  thoroughly 
repaired  at  a  cost  of  $1,200,  and 
the  entire  sum  presented  to  the 
society     by      Mr,     J.     P.     Chamber- 


illness  and  death  of  Hon.  J.  P.  Cham- 
berlain before  the  subscriptions  for 
building  had  all  been  setiled  left  the 
church  with  an  unanticipated  debt  of 
,^3,000.  During  thepastorate  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Tousej',  1884-1887,  this  debt 
was  paid,  improvements  were  made  in 
the   Sunday    school    room    and   base- 


nients,  aggregating  $1,500.  General 
Noyes  was  again  a  liberal  subscriber, 
his  wife,  daughter  of  Hon.  J.  P. 
Chamberlain,  making  valuable  dona- 
tions of  furniture,  including  a  costly- 
altar  cloth.  The  trustees  during  this 
period  were  C  D.  Board  man,  Iv.  (bold- 
er, Augustus  Metcalf,  C.  T.  Andrews, 
S.  Weatherlow,  A.  R.  Palmer,  J.  F. 
Sinison.  During  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  Iv  A.  Tuttle  (1S88)  the  par.son- 
age  was  again  rebuilt  at  a  cost  of 
about  $2,200.  In  1S91  the  young  wo- 
men of  the  church  purchased  a  pipe 
organ  with  electric  apparatus  after- 
wards ap]>lied,  aggregating  $2,000. 
This  and  the  debts  incurred  in  repair- 
ing the  parsonage  were  largely  liqui- 
dated during  Mr.  Jewell's  pastorate. 
A  flourishing  Christian  Endeavor  So- 
ciet}'  was  changed  to  the  ICpworth 
League,  the  vSunday  .school  numbered 
300  and  church  nieml)ershij)  about 
400.  In  1894  J,  VanWyck  Loomis, 
who  had  replaced  the  bell  (whicli  was 
given  to  the  East  X'arick  church)  by 
a  larger  one,  had  a  memorial  bell  in 
lionor  of  the  Grand  Army  put  into  the 
tower.  It  was  formally  received  on 
Memorial  Day  (Cross  Post  holding 
their  exercises  in  the  churcliibyC. 
T.  Andrews,  president,  for  the  Board 
of  Trustees.  During  Rev.  A.  Cope- 
land's  ])astorate  ninety-  were  added  to 
the  church  as  a  result  of  evangelistic 
services  of  Rev.  M.  S.  Rees  The  in- 
terior of  the  church  was  redecorated, 
a  steel  ceiling  added,  and  the  audi- 
torium recarpeted,  at  a  cost  of  $1,200. 
During  the  pastorates  of  Rev.  Ezra 
Tinker,  H.  E.  Frohock  and  A.  W. 
Broadway*  revival'  services  have  been 
held  and  man}-  have  been  added  to 
tlie  membership.  Last  year,  1904,1)3- 
a  l)equest  of  Mrs.  Samuel  MclNIichael, 
decea.sed,  a  permanent  scholarship  for 
Syracuse  Lni versify  has  been  given 
for  students  of  Mynderse  Academy, 
$500  for  the  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety and  $150  for  repairs  in  the 
church.  A  marble  baptismal  fount  in 
memory  of  Benjamin  F.  and  Stuart 
M.  Harrison  has  been  recentl}'  placed 
within  the  altar.  A  new  piano,  the 
gift  of  the  Epworth  League,  has  been 
added  to  the  prayer  room  lately.    The 


present  trustees  of  the  church  are:  D. 
B  Mosher,  president;  R.  (Tolder, 
'treasurer;  A.  P.  Plane}',  Samuel  Kib- 
be\-,  A.  R.  Palmer,  C.  T.  Andrews,  J. 

B.  Howell,  J.  D.  Boardman;  'class 
leaders,  R.  Golder,  (L  B.  Nearpass, 
l-".  E.  Wood;  Sunday  school,  A.  W. 
(iolder,  superintendent;  Ladies'  Aid 
vSociet}',  Mrs.  (L  B.  Xearpass,  presi- 
dent; Epworth  League,  Dr.  PI.  S. 
Waldorf,  president;  Woman's  For- 
eign    Missionary    vSociety,    Mrs.    W. 

C.  Mojer,  president.  The  names  of 
the  itinerant  pastors  that  have  come 
down  to  us  are  Revs.  Riley  Ben- 
nett, Lanning,  Brown,  Fairchild, 
Prindle,  tiilmore,  Kimberlain,  Dod- 
son,  Loren  Grant,  Palmer,  Ro- 
lierts,  Chester  Altgate,  Billy  Jones, 
Snow  and  Sal^ins.  These  were  prior 
to  1828  Then  followed  Wm.  Kent, 
Revs.  Jewett  and  Anderson.  In  1833 
Seneca  Falls  being  made  a  station, 
i\Ir.  Kent  was  its  pastor  and  remained 
another  3'ear.  Then  followed  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Lattimer,  1S34-35;  Rev. 
Robert  Parker,  1835-36;  Rev.  Thomas 
Carlton,  1836-37;  Rev.  John  Easter, 
iS37-."i9;  Rev.  vSeth  Mattison,  1839-40; 
Rev.  Ransle}-  Harrington,  1840-42; 
Rev.  D.  F.  Par.son,  1842-43;  Rev.  Cal- 
vin S.  Coates,  1843-44;  Rev.  Alexan- 
der Farrel,  1844-46;  Rev.  Joseph  T. 
Arnold,  1846-48;  Rev.  A.  C.  George, 
1S48-49;  Rev.  Ransle\'  Harrington, 
.second  appointment,  1S49-50;  Rev. 
Elijah  Wood,  1S50-52;  Rev.  David 
Crow,  1S52-54;  Re\'.  David  Ferris, 
1854-56;  Rev.  A.  N.  Filmore,  1856-58; 
Rev.  Wm.  Hosmer,  1S58-59;  Rev  C. 
S.  Coates,  second  appointment,  1859- 
60;  Rev.  J.J.  Wilson,  186062;  Rev. 
A.  S.  Baker,  1862-65;  i^ev.  I.  Watts, 
1865-66;  Rev.  Martin  Wheeler,  1S66- 
69;  Rev.  E.  P.  Huntington,  1869-72; 
Rev.  Isaac  N.  Gibbard,  1872  74;  Rev. 
Geo.  S.  White,  1874-76;  Rev.  H.  B. 
Cassavant,  1876-79;  Rev.  Theron 
Cooper,  1879-81;  Rev.  A.  N.  Damon, 
1S81-84;  Rev.  Tliomas  Touse}-,  i884- 
87;  Rev.  E.  A.  Tuttle,  1887-90;  Rev. 
C.  \\.  Jewell,  1890-94;  Rev.  Arthur 
Copeland,  1894-99;  Rev.  Ezra  Tinker, 
J899-1901;  Rev.  H.  E.  Frohock,  1901- 
1903;  Kev.  A.  W.  Broadway,  1903- 
1905;  Rev.  D.  D.  King. 


Early  Flouring  Mills 


By  HARRISON  CHAMBERLAIN 


111  n  provious  pnpor  was  HU«tclie(l 
hiietly  tlie  history  of  our  two  pioneer 
rl'MiriDii  ruill'i.  Vhc  itrentions  of  an 
ctiterprisiiiit;  and  fidvenliirons  spirit, 
cBoer  ill  its  search  of  e.entral  New  York 
for  the  wealth  sloi-ed  in  stream,  forest 
ntid  soiJ,  tliey  stood  here  in  \hc  midst 
of  scenery  as  wild  as  it  whs  beaiitifnl, 
ht'sides  swift-nowin<i"  waters,  so  distinct 
nnd  dominant  in  their  personality  as  to 


soon  eastern  Fall  street  and  the  crown 
of  Seneca  siretit  were  <iemiried  vviili 
small,  hrighi  dwelliiijis,  with  shops  of 
(;coperin<i:.  WHgon-making  niul  hlneU- 
sniithing(  with  places  of  trade  and 
supply.  Each  month  noted  some  new 
t'eatnre,  Some  transformation,  in  which 
the  linmnn  element  ihrono-h  skill  and 
energy  hnd  wrought  some  victory  over 
natnre.     New  clearings  were  opened; 


impart  io  the    place    the    nnnie    of    the 
Mynderse  IMills. 

Important  they  were,  in  their  at- 
tractive and  sustaining  power  the  for- 
mative forces  of  onr  infant  lift,  draw- 
ing; abont  them  clusters  of  homes,  call- 
ing h(!re  strong  and  hardy  men  who 
saw  a  chance  of  winning  a  coaipetence 
if  not  a  fortune.  For  a  time  they  were 
quiet   sufficient ;    the   place   grew   and 


new  huihlings  erected  The  old  log 
tavern  of  Van  (Jleef  iiad  given  way  to 
liostelries  of  more  pretension  mid  com- 
fort, kept  by  Parkhurst  and  Deacon 
Miller.  The  school  find  place  of  wor- 
ship had  put  on  a  i^righter  anil  more 
attractive  attire,  and  the  people,  nnni- 
iiering  some  live  to  six  hundred,  were 
thrifty  and  happy.  To  the  extent  of 
applied    uaturni    reaourcea  and   public 


spirit,  the  place  has  respondetl  eagerly 
ami  joyl'nily,  Die  tide  hail  H  )wed  in 
Htrongly  and  briojit  hopes  huiij^'  on  the 
iiitiire.  And  why  not?  The  rich  soil 
was  wailiiitr  for  the  tiih^r,  ttie  natural 
ndvaiJlages  had  in  tlieni  vast  potentials 
of  prnsperiiy,  and  if  pin])loyo(l  the  tide 
WDM  hi  not  cease  to  How  in.  Hut  liie 
snstainini^  power  of  the  tirsi  enterprises 
hud  reached  their  limit  hy  1!^10  and 
needed  reinforcements.  In  communal 
as  in  individual  life,  there  is  no  .stop- 
ping point.  Either  it  ooes  ahead  or 
t)a(rkward  It  must  be  oiven  new  sup- 
ports, wider  scope  if  it  is  to  deveiopc. 
The  two  llijuring  mills,  aided  by  the 
products  of  soil  and  forest,  had  contri- 
buted their  modicum.  Th»!y  could  still 
do  .so,  but  more  was  necessary,  of 
which  the  means  were  at  hand  in  abun- 
dance. The  voice  of  our  rapids,  yet 
uninterpreted,  was  whi-Ji)orin|s;'  silently 
of  immense  stored  energies.  Like  a 
great  organ  but  two  of  its  minor  chords 
had  been  touched  out  of  the  great  many 
that  under  a  skillful  and  bold  hand 
could  bring  out  a  chorus  of  song.  The 
Bayard  Company  controlled  it.  They 
owned  practicall}'  all  the  water  rights. 
They  could  bring  out  directly  or  in- 
directly, the  full  volume  of  music, 
strike  ttie  fuller,  higher  chords  and  fill 
the  air  with  the  vibrations  of  ihe  wheel, 
the  wliir  of  the  spindle  and  the  hum  of 
machinery.  And  why  did  they  not? 
In  many  respects  they  were  public 
spirited,  in  offers  to  settlers,  in  iai. 
proving  the  highways,  in  aiding  the 
construction  of  works  to  make  our  out- 
let navigable  and  multiply  our  hy- 
draulic power,  but  at  the  point,  most 
vital,  their  policy  failed.  Instead  of 
itnproving  their  water  privileges  or  bv 
sale  permitting  others  to  improve  them, 
they  tenaciously  held  on  to  them  in 
their  natural  state,  thoui;h  good  and 
liberal  offers  were  made.  The  motive 
therefor  was  immediate  interest  and 
prosp'-ctive  gain  The  milling  busi- 
ness was  the  leaning;  industry,  promis- 
ing  and  profitable,  and  they  did  not 
rare  to  invite  competition,  sure  to 
spring  up  if  they  parted  with  some  of 
their  water-rights,  while  they  flattered 
themselves  that  no  risks  would  be  in- 
curred by  holding  on  to  privileges  that 


were  likely  to  increase  largely  in  value. 
For  more  than  twenty-live  years  this 
policy  wan  pursueil,  only  in  one  in- 
stance was  there  a  departure,  that  of  a 
small  grant  to  Tillman  on  the  site  now 
occnipicd  l>y  the  (Jould.s  Mfg.  Co.  'J'hat 
this  was  a  grievious  mistake  time  re- 
vealed, it  cht  eked  our  growth,  in- 
volved a  loss  that  cannot  be  estimated 
and  in  the  end  proved  disastrous  to  the 
company. 

With  the  close  of  this  chapter,  so 
promising  on  the  start  and  so  disap- 
pointing in  the  end,  we  turn  to  another, 
of  things  bright  and  realized.  I'he 
real  progress  of  our  growth,  along  the 
lines  of  our  development,  commenced 
at  this  time.  It  was  when  for  the  first 
the  public  spirit  of  the  place,  freed 
from  the  restraints  that  had  nitheUo 
bound  it,  had  a  chance  of  fair  play,  of 
inaugurating  a  movement  that  has  gone 
on  under  many  modifications  to  the 
present.  Two  events  ushered  it  in. 
The  state  in  1825  purchased  the  rights 
of  our  private  canal,  made  it  a  part  of 
the  system  of  public  works,  improved 
and  equipped  it  as  a  trade  and  com- 
mercial feeder  to  the  Erie,  thus  giving 
ns  an  open  highway  to  fide  water  mar- 
kets. This  of  itself  was  very  import- 
ant, as  also  was  the  attitude  of  the 
state  towards  the  use  of  surplus  water 
on  the  upper  level.  It  has  often  been 
a  subject  of  comment,  why  after  the 
construction  of  the  upper  dam  iu  1816, 
the  surplus  water  riglnfully  belonging 
to  the  north  side  was  not  utilized  for 
power,  but  allowed  to  flow  to  waste 
over  the  dam.  It  was  outside  of  the 
sphere  of  the  Biyard  C  unpany  and  no 
hostile  influence  thereto  could  have 
been  exerted  except  possibly  such  as 
the  company  possessed  as  stockholders 
in  the  Seneca  Navigation  Company. 
At  least  as  soon  as  the  state  came  in 
possession  of  these  private  navigable 
rights,  steps  were  at  once  taken  to  use 
this  surplus  water.  .Judges  Saekett  and 
Stevens  went  to  Albany,  presented  the 
matter  to  the  canal  authorities,  and  on 
their  return  with  the  state's  approval 
were  given  a  grand  ovation.'  The  con- 
sent meant  very  much.  The  surplus  , 
water  on  this  level  was  estimated  at 
1000  horse  power  or  it  rendered  avail- 


able  500  horse  power  no  the  north  sidfl. 
a  far  greater  euertiy  tliaii  the  Eiayurd 
cottipanv  hafi  ilcvclopeil  in  tlieir  two 
iiiill.'^-  It  openeil  ;«  field  of  euterprise 
(juick'ly  aviiikd  of.  The  second  event 
was  tlie  adveitisf uieut  ami  sale  of  thfi 
Bayard  Company's  water  privileges, 
putliii!^  Ilieu)  into  hands  ready  to  Ubv 
them  f<ir  the  ndvautngo  of  our  village. 
In  my  previous  pnper.  it  was  noted 
that  ill  tht)  dispoi-ition  of  the  Bayard 
property  the  upper  Red  Alill.s    went    in 


seeking  our  market  but  there  was  th^ 
chance  of  lealizing  a  good  protit  in 
einiverting  the  wheat  into  flour.  Tlie 
rtU|Hirior  ipiality  of  these  wlieat.s, — the. 
Soles,  Mutchinson  and  White  Flint, 
insured  a  grade  of  Hour,  not  e.xcelled, 
if  equalled,  anywhere.  And  then,  too, 
tlit-re  was  the  faet  that  the  Genesee 
country,  of  which  we  are  a  pari,  was 
an  iniportaid  source  of  f<)od  supply- 
1  liH  vast  grain  fields  of  the  west  had 
hardly  been  opened.     The  eastern  de- 


'  r-wSlIm  nw[m  '*i^v-     '-^W'^  ■■■■^  ^^Sf=rF-  ' 


t  :■'/'^"'fi■ 


nT"  1Z3.^P=^ 


--^ 


'^>'\-^' 


succession  to  the  heirs  of  Nicholas 
Governeur,  to  tlie  Odgens,  and  then  to 
Anthony.  (Charles  W.,  and  Samuel  Dey. 
The  lower  Red  Mill-s  passed  to  William 
and  Samuel  .1     Hayard. 

In  point  of  lime  and  of  the  history  of 
my  .subject,  we  turn  now  to  the  ujiper 
level.  Often  a  small  tfnng  has  the 
power  ot  shaping  events.  'I'he  inceii 
five,  arising  from  the  consent  of  the 
state,  imparled  to  this  section  unwonted 
activity.  New  industri<  s  spruuir  u]). 
particularly  flouring  mills.  The  reason 
was  quite  evident.  Our  rich  soils  were 
being  tilled  more  e.xtensively,  ami  not 
only  were    the   large    yields    of    wheat 


tiiand,  therefore,  for  whatever  bore  the 
(Jenesee  brand  of  flour,  shaped  largely 
our  industrial  efforts. 

The  parties  fortunate  enough  to  hold 
lots  on  ine  north  side  of  the  upper  level, 
now  invested  with  water  rights,  nl 
once  forme<l  plans  to  im[)rove  them. 
Tim  Paynes,  Abram  and  Samuel,  l)ad  a 
lot  just  west  of  the  National  Advertis- 
ing Company  running  through  to  Kal 
street.  riiny  were  the  sons  of  KUsha 
I'ayne.  the  founder  of  Hamilton,  N.  V., 
cominiT  here  in  1822  and  openino;  a  store 
near  Mechanic's  Hall.  Their  brother, 
Joseph  C.  Payne,  soon  came  here  and 
clerked  for  them.     The  Paynes    were 


3 


straitforward  busiutss  men,  of  uoas- 
sniuing  and  8truii<r  c;liarnctur.  Saimiel 
Pfiyiio  was  one  of  the  lirst  vestryint'ii 
olTiinity  clmicli.  Successful  iu  tiadc, 
Uicy  »'rcctt(l  a  stoic  on  llicir  lot,  west 
of  the  Jjilsby  HoifC  Company,  still  in 
good  preservation,  to  whicli  tliey  ic- 
Miovcd  their  business.  The  inipart- 
nient  of  water  riij;hls  to  Ine  outlet  front 
of  tricir  lot  (  llcretl  them  a  rare  oppor- 
tunity, and  at  once  they  laid  i)lans  to 
erect  a  llouriiijr  mill.  The  buildiui:; 
800U  arose,  of  frame,  two  and  a  half 
stories,  with  stone  basement,  e<juipped 
with  the  best  ujacliincry  to  jj,ive  an  oiit- 
l>ut  of  one  hundred  find  twcnty-tive 
barrels  a  day  They  called  it  the  Clin- 
ton Mills— indeed  if  they  had  consulted 
public  sentiment,  this  was  tlie  name 
they  would  have  givci-  it,  for  our 
peo[)le  were  largely  Clintonians, warmly 
(Uidoi'sinj,''  the  slate  policy  of  internal 
improvemeiii. 

The  n)ill  product,  in  view  ot  the 
•ireat  deniHiid  for  Hour,  did  not  inter- 
fere with  sales,  but  as  llie  hrsl  eoin- 
l»etilor  it  threw  into  our  market  an  ele- 
ment of  rivalry,  enabliniij  the  farmer, 
in  the  play  of  one  buyer  ajiainst  tiie 
other,  to  conimainl  a  little  better  i)rice 
for  his  wheal.  The  benetii  thus  se- 
cured by  the  seller  came  to  the  Paynes 
from  the  start  as  an  asset  of  gnod  will 
tliat  they  enjoyed  for  years.  Prosper- 
ous in  their  venture,  the  i'aynes  were 
also  a(!tive  in  promotinji'  a  like  enter- 
prise on  tlie  lot  east  of  them,  made 
avnilabh^  by  the  construction  of  the 
stale  dam  in  1827.  the  north  end  of 
which  diverjred  from  the  point  of  the 
previous  ISIG  .stru(;ture  some  twenty- 
tive  feet,  east,  forminji  a  slip  and  fur» 
nishinjr  a  fine  water  sj'e,  improved  a 
lilile  later  l)v  the  (  ity  Mills  or  Mills 
Superior.  For  some  fifteen  years  the 
mill  was  snccessfullv  operated  by  its 
found*  rs,  when  in  1^<40  hows  it  Carey 
became  tinancially  interesi(;d  in  it  ami 
soon  after  purchased  it.  Dows  it  Carey 
were  Hour  comudssion  merchants  in 
Albany  and  New  York.  It  was  not  at 
all  sur|)rising.  with  the  advaulaires 
offered,  that  eastery  capital  reached 
out  and  interested  itself  in  these  mill- 
ing facilities.  Dows  &  Cnrey  were  in- 
timately connected  with  our  nulling  in- 


dustry for  yeare.  In  1853,  however, 
owing  to  the  death  of  David  Dows  and 
(he  dissolution  of  the  firm,  the  pioperty 
was  sold  to  dames  A.  Eastou  and  j)avid 
8choonover.  Two  years  after  Mr. 
Lewis  B.  Howell,  a  miller  of  Black 
Rock,  now  North  Butlalo,  N.  Y.,  came 
here  and  bought  the  Clinton  Mill 
and  also  of  Nelsor.  Payne,  son  of 
Ahram  Payne,  the  house  on  Fall 
street.  Mr.  Howell  was  of  a  .sau- 
guine  and  energetic  temperament, 
amijitious  to  do  a  large  busiuesa. 
His  operations  were  on  a  large  scale, 
comlucted  successfully  till  about  I860, 
when  following  the  reaction  of  the 
(;ivil  war  he  met  with  reverses  that  he 
could  not  overcome.  Still  he  held  to 
his  Hour  traile,  going  on  the  road  and 
supplying  his  customers  till  within  a 
few  years  of  his  death.  His  daughter, 
(ieorgiana  Alice,  married  Cornelius  S. 
Hood  and  now  lives  on  Cayuga  street. 
In  lStj7  the  ('linton  mill  passed  to  the 
National  Bank  of  Auburn,  N  Y.,  •and 
was  sold  by  the  batd<  to  .lohn  CHrter  in 
1871.  Mr,  (}H(»rge  Crobaugh  was  Mu) 
under.  In  1872  the  mill  was  destroyed 
by  lire  and  not  rebuilt.  The  property 
reverted  to  the  bank  and  in  1888  was 
j)urchased  by  Mrs.  Augusta  G.  Miller, 
ami  three  months  later  whs  deeded  to 
the  National  .Advertising  Co.,  who  are 
now  the  owners  of  the  land  and  water 
rights. 

in  a  few  yesrs  after  the  Iniilding  of 
the  Cliidoii  mill,  the  property  on  the 
corner  of  Water  and  Bridge  streets 
was  sold  by  .Judge  Luther  F.  Stevens 
to  William  A.  Smith  .and  Stephen  Ham- 
blin  and  a  distillery  and  Houring  mill 
were  erected  thereon  in  I80O.  The  dis 
tillery  feature  continued  for  a  ]oug 
time,  hut  the  main  industrial  character 
of  ihe  business  was  tlu;  manufacture  of 
Hour.  It  was  as  the  old  building  still 
shows,  a  structure  of  frame  and  brick, 
the  front  and  mill  i)art  of  brick, 
and  the  rear  and  storage  part  '  f  framt!, 
two  and  a  half  stories  h'gh.  i'he 
changes  of  time  have  not  materiallv 
altered  the  ont-»ide  appearance,  though 
inside  these  have  been  so  great  as  to 
convey  now  no  impression  of  the  early 
arrangement  of  fi.xtures  and  machinery. 
In  the  old  i)Ian  the  distilling  was  quite 


separate  from  the  flouring;  department. 
The  water  power  with  the  number  of 
Htone  f?ave  au  output  of  some  120  bar- 
rels of  tlour  a  day  The  business 
changes;  in  this  property  have  beep  ex- 
ceedingly large  in  its  history.  In  a 
paper  of  this  Kind  only  space  can  be 
taken  to  refer  to  some  of  the  well 
known  men  connected  with  this  enter- 
prise,— the  Empire  Mills.  In  the  (ihaiu 
of  interest  we  have  in  18.'>5  Isaac 
Smith  and  Gilbert  Bodlue ;  in  184117 
John  and  .Jacob  Shoemaker;  1847, 
David  Schotmover  ;  in    1848  67    Daniel 


in  its  palmydays,  the  scences  of  activity, 
the  press  of  loaded  wagons,  the  boats 
loading  with  tlour,  the  bustle  and  eager 
talk  of  men,  so  tilling  this  corner  with 
life.  Some  too  will  bring  to  mind  the 
trngic  death  of  Haas,  the  excitement 
that  followed,  the  sad  cause  and  manner 
of  it,  and  will  pay  a  tribute  of  pity  to 
his  memory. 

« )n  the  same  upper  level  was  built 
tbe  City  Mills  or  Mills  Superior — not 
however  next  in  order  of  time,  but  it 
seems  most  natural  to  speak  of  it  here 
in  connection  with  the  group    to  which 


I.  Haas;  in  l8o7  John  S.  (Jay;  in  1858 
Edwin  J.  Tyler;  in  1859  Ansel  C. 
(Jibbs;  iSen  Thomas  Mickley  and 
I'hilip  Pontius ;  in  18(io  John  (i.  Hos. 
ter  and  Jacob  ^eed ;  in  18()8  Jacol) 
Shoemaker,  George  \\.  Daniels  and 
Jacob  Reed  owned  the  mill,  the  interest 
of  (ieorge  B.  Daniels  and  Jacob  Reed 
descending  later  on  to  their  sons  George 
(.).  Daniels  and  William  Reed,  the  name 
of  the  firm  remaining  for  over  thirty- 
five  years,  'Shoemaker,  Daniels  v*e 
Reed, — until  very  recently  the  property 
was  boufjlit  by  Mr  Fred  Maier  and  is 
now  used  for  wood  workmg  and  plan- 
ing.    Some  of  us  will  recall  the  old  mill 


it  belonged.  As  the  name  implied,  it 
was  much  larger  than  tin;  other  two, 
superior  at  all  pomts.  with  preference 
water  rights,  and  with  advantages, 
arising  from  the  construction  of  the 
stale  dam,  that  secured  by  a  slip-way 
for  boats,  extra  receiving  and  shipping 
facilities.  The  importance  of  this  will 
be  seen  when  it  is  considered  that  the 
flour  was  forwarded  by  boat  and  far 
more  than  half  the  wheat  came  in  this 
way  and  by  elevators  could  be  handled 
with  little  expense.  The  erection  was 
in  1837,  and  the  character  and  arranee- 
ment  of  wheels  and  machinery  were  in 
charge  ot  Mr.  John  Fitch,  the   father 


of  Mrs,  Adaline  E.  Cowing.  Among 
our  millwrights,  and  we  had  many  very 
competent,  like  Aipheus  Martin  and 
William  Burtnetl,  no  one  was  more 
prominent  than  Mr.  Fitch,  whose  abil- 
ity and  skill  were  recognized  and 
sought  after  in  the  installment  of  power 
plants.  The  land  upon  which  the 
mill  was  erected  belonged  to.  the  Paynes 
and  by  them  wa.s  deeded  in  1831.  one- 
half  inter^'st  to  Cvrel  Carpenter  and  in 
the  following  year  the  other  half  in. 
terest  to  Chauncf-y  Marshall.  In  183o 
the  propfirtv  came  into  the  possession 
of  Eleazer  Hills,  who  b"ilt  up  the  great 
flouring  industry  in  1837.  In  1840  it 
came  to  Ira  B  Carey,  who  optn-ated  it 
for  some  fourteen  years,  either  through 
William  Arnett  as  bis  agent  or  through 
John  Shoemaker  and  John  Holmes  as 
associates  in  the  business  or  as  owners. 
The  record  is  not  clear  on  this  point, 
yet  there  is  some  evidence  to  indicate 
that  Shoemaker  and  Holmes  hnd  in- 
terests in  the  property.  Mr.  Holmes 
was  very  active,  and  it  is  well  to  note 
the  faRt,  inasmuch  as  Mr.  Holmes  was 
the  moving  spirit  who  was  inslru 
mental  in  bringing  about,  in  1852  an 
adjudicated  settlement  of  the  surplus 
water  rights  on  the  upper  -level.  Be- 
fore, the  parties  on  both  sides  had 
drawn  freely  and  it  was  a  constant  con- 
tention, often  carried  into  the  courts, 
that  one  side  or  the  other  was  using 
more  water  than  it  was  entitled  to. 
The  state  was  also  atlected  as  the  navi- 
gation on  the  canal  was  impeded  Mr. 
Holmes  advocated  putting  in  a  wnll 
dividing  the  canal  from  the  outlet,  at  a 
height  that  would  protect  navigation 
making  upon  the  upper  end  of  the  wall 
a  spill-way  equal  to  that  of  the  woolen 
mills  on  the  south  side,  as  a  mechanical 
method  of  dividing  the  surplus  waters 
belonging  to  either  side.  The  work 
was  put  in  by  the  state  and  remains  to- 
day as  determining  the  respective  rights 
of  the  parties  to  the  flow  of  water.  In 
1854  the  executors  of  Ira  B.  Carny  so'd 
the  property  to  Lewis  B  Howell  and 
on  foreclosure  of  mortgage  it  went  to 
the  National  Exchange  Bank  of  SenecH 
Falls  in  1868.  The  bank  sold  the  prop- 
erty in  1871  to  Jo.oiah  T.  Miller  and  by 
will  it  came  to   Augusta  G.    Miller   in 


1884  and  by  her  in  1888  was  deeded  t^ 
the  National  Advertising  Co. ,  who  now 
own  and  operate  it  for  a  line  of  wood 
novelties.  This  building  stands  to-day, 
large  and  substantial, vvith  little  changes 
in  the  past  seventy  years.  It  is  a  fine 
type  of  the  mill  architecture  of  that 
day  Its  size  gives  you  an  idea  of  the 
business  it  conducted,  of  the  four  to 
five  hundred  barrels  of  flour  it  pro- 
duced daily. 

Two  flouring  mills  were  built  in 
1833.  One  of  these  was  the  'Stone 
Mills'  on  Fall  street,  it  the  foot  of  State 
street.  In  1831  the  heirs  of  Josiab  H 
Bissell  conveyed  the  land  and  privileges 
to  Eleazer  Hills.  After  the  construction 
of  the  mill,  in  1836.  Mr.  Hills  conveypd 
one-half  interest  to  John  Sheather.  In 
1836,  in  an  action  brought  by  Hills 
against  Melinda  Sheather.  widow  of 
John  Sheather,  John  Maynard  and 
others,  a  decree  of  the  Court  of  Chan- 
cery was  issued  and  the  propertv  sold 
by  John  C.  Beach,  Master,  to  Eleazer 
Hills  and  Ira  B.  Carey  in  1840.  In 
1846  Ira  B.  Carey  bought  the  Hills  in 
tereet.  From  the  time  Carey  acquired 
a  part  in  the  mill,  >Villiam  Arnett 
acted  as  his  representative,  and  on  the 
death  of  Carey  his  executors,  David 
Dows,  William  Tilden  and  Calvin  Hall 
conveyed  the  property  to  William  Ar- 
nett in  1854;  at  the  same  time  Mr.  Ar- 
nett deeded  one-half  interest  to  Calvin 
Hall.  In  1860  the  assignees  of  Calvin 
Hall  conveyed  back  to  Arnett  the  half 
interest,  in  payment  therefor  Arnett 
executed  a  mortgage  on  the  premises 
which  was  transferred  to  the  Bank  of 
(jeneva,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1862  foreclosed 
and  the  property  sold  to  the  Bank  of 
(ieneva  and  Erastus  Partridge  under 
Ueferue's  deed  dated  in  1861.  In  1867 
the  i)ropcrty  was  bought  by  the  Phoenix 
Mills  of  Seneca  Falls.  The  Phoenix 
Mills  were  in  fact  Albert  Jewett. 
who  came  here  from  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
active,  enterprising  and  possessed  of 
large  means,  first  interested  in  the 
Knitting  Mills,  formerly  the  Globe 
Flouring  Mills,  then  the  owner  in  1864 
of  the  Seneca  Woolen  Mills.  In  1867, 
after  the  purchase  of  the  Stone  Mills, 
he  reorganized  his  business,  making  a 
large     woolen   manufacting   plant,    in 


IT 


whicb  the  Stone  Mills  figured  as  the 
.  Ptioenix  Mills  No.  ;T.  In  1873  the 
Stone  Mill  was  conveyed  to  LeRoy  C 
Partridge,  Krastns  Partridge  and  Al- 
bort  Cook,  snbseqiientlv  to  James  1). 
Pollard  and  by  said  Pollard  to  Mrs. 
Ellen  Partridge  in  I8b8.  and  by  trustees 
in  bankruptcy  of  Mrs.  Ellen  F'artridge 
was  sold  in  190.')  to  (^lary  Brothers  of 
Seupoa  Falls,  who  now  use  it  for  elect  ric 
lighting,  for  press  work,  stores  and 
offices.  This  is  the  legal  record  of  the 
Stone  Mills,  a  history  of  itself,  of  deep 
interest,  In  that  it  marked  the  varying 
fortunes  of  those    connected    with    it. 


the  mills  till  183o,  selling  out  to  Richard 
M.  Bailey  and  Henry  Woolsey.  By 
the  last  parlies  the  property  was  mort« 
gaged  to  the  Seneca  County  Bank  and 
on  foreclosure  and  sale  the  mills  came 
to  Walter  Oatman  who  operated  it  for 
several  v^firs.  Later^the  properly  was 
boil- lit  by  Downs  &  Company  and  con- 
verted into  a  Knitting  Mill,  supplying 
dnring  the  Civil  War  a  large  ai.iount 
of  goods  for  Uie  army.  The  order  for 
these  goods  came  mainly  throuf^h  Al- 
bert .lewett,  who  was  an  extensive 
contractor  with  the  government  for 
various  army  supplies.      This    relation 


J_8£ 


sfL'  AlC£3  H'Ai 


"Ji 


/■y^ 


/y^^^ 


;■  iflpfit'ufi 


=^-^ 


f'l'^^'^^r^^ns  "T  ^gg-^j^jay  i'n     r,." 


To  day  there  is  nothing  to  suggest  the 
old  mill.  All  the  features  of  it  have 
been  transformed  into  a  new  structure, 
designed  for  distinct  manufacture  and 
commercial  purposes.  Yet  here  a  little 
over  half  a  century  ago  stood  a  mill 
that  might  well  be  called  the  key  of  the 
arch  of  our  milling  system,  a  mill  that 
turned  out  five  to  six  hundred  barrels 
of  flour  daily. 

The  other  flouring  mill  built  in  1833 
was  the  Globe  Mills  on  the  Sacketi's 
Race-way.  The  owners  were  John 
Fitch  and  Ansel  Baseom,  who  operated 


identified  Mr.  Jewett  with  the  business 
and  in  a  year  or  so  he  became  the 
owner  of  the  property.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  made  it  the  Phoenix  Mills 
Xo  2  in  his  great  manufacturing  scheme. 
In  about  1873  the  property  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  (ileasons  and  by  them 
operated  for  a  long  time  a^  a  hosiery 
factory.  The  property  is  still  owned 
by  the  heirs  of  E.  P.  Gleason,  though 
now  under  a  lease  it  is  being  used  for 
a  button  factory.  The  Globe  Mill  was 
a  brick  structure  of  three  stories  and 
basement  and  had  machinery    to    pro^ 


dnce  about  one  hundred  and  lifty  bar- 
rels of  Hour  a  day,  but  aaide  from  the 
old  foundation  walls  there  is  little  to 
remind  one  of  the  former  mills. 

Just  east  of  the  Globe  Mills  and  be 
longing  to  this  group  on  tiie  second 
level  is  the  New  york  Mills,  built  in 
1845  by  John  Fitch  and  John  Leach. 
Mr.  Fitch  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Blaiii, 
the  tirm  name  becoming-  J^each  &  Blaiu 
till  1856.  The  property  was  then 
bought  by  A.  B.  Southwell  and  Eraslus 
Roberts,  and  later  on  the  interest  of 
Southwell  was  conveyed  to  Mr.  Briggs, 
the  ftrm  becoming  Roberts  «te  Briggs, 
continuing  to  the  present.  The  iniil 
•luring  its  career  has  been  fairly  pros- 
perous, with  a  capacity  of  about  one 
hundred  barrels  of  Hour  a  day,  to- 
gether with  a  large  custom  and  gristing 
trade  that  has  been  and  continues  to  be 
a  feature  of  its  business. 

There  was  also  a  tlouring  n)ill  just 
east  of  the  upper  Red  Mill,  known  as 
the  Fall  Street  Mill.  Originally  it 
was  built  for  an  oil  mill,  but  along  in 
the  forties  it  was  converted  into  a  tlour- 
ing nrJll  Of  those  connected  with  this 
enterprise  were  David  Schoonover, 
Hugh  Wier,  Burnet  Boardman  and 
VVilloughby  Hagar.  The  mill  had  a 
capacity  of  about  seventy-tive  barrels 
of  flour  a  day,  together  with  a  good 
custom  and  gristing  trade.  In  about 
1876  the  mill  was  bought  by  James  F. 
Dalrymple  and  by  him  operated  till 
about  ten  years  ago,  when  in  view  of 
the  marked  changes  in  the  system  of 
flouring  it  was  not  thought  the  business 
would  warrant  the  outlay  to  put  it  in  a 
condition  to  go  on.  Since  then  the 
old  building  has  been  removed,  fur- 
nishing a  site  for  some  new  industry. 
We  now  resume  the  history  of  the 
two  pioneer  mills.  In  1840-1  the  Bay- 
ards sold  the  lower  Red  Mill  to  Towar 
Brothers,  who  came  here  from  Lyons, 
N.  Y.,  and  ran  the  mill  for  a  short 
time.  In  1843  Jacob  P,  Chamberlain 
bought  the  mill,  moving  down  from 
his  farm  at  the  Kingdom  and  occupy- 
ing the  long  two-story  frame  house  on 
the  brow  of  Seneca  street,  which  be- 
)0Dged  to  the  mill  property.  To  the 
family  this  was  a  marked  change  from 
lUe  farm  to  this  whirl  of  life.     With 


no  experience  in  milling,  with  little 
knowledge  of  the  details  of  th«  busi- 
ness Mr  Chamberlain  assumed  the 
risk  with  diffidence,  soon  however 
acquiring  confidence  and  finding  pleas- 
ure in  his  new  duties.  His  large  ac- 
(|uaintance  with  farmers  was  of  great 
help  lo  hiu),  as  it  brought  them  lo  the 
mill  with  their  grain.  To  them  he  was 
one  of  their  class,  a  farmer,  a  counselor, 
ready  to  aid  them  in  drawing  deeds, 
mortgages  and  wills.  The  effect  was 
fco  give  the  mill  a  strong  hold  on  the 
farming  community,  bringing  in  wheat 
freely  as  against  the  disadvantage  of  a 
little  longer  haul,  and  the  practice  then 
quite  prevalent  of  employing  buyers  on 
a  commission  to  watch  incoming  loads 
of  grain  and  purchase  for  the  mills. 
Thera  was  no  occasion  for  this.  As  1 
recall  it,  it  was  not  unusual  to  see 
several  scores  of  wagons  lining  the 
street,  waiting  to  unload  and  often  the 
day  rolled  into  the  evening  hours  be- 
fore the  last  team  couH  be  attended  to. 
The  mill  rarely  lacked  for  a  supply  to 
keep  the  machinery  running  night  and 
day,  turning  out  from  200  to  '250 
barrels  of  flour  a  day.  The  bulk  of 
flour  and  feeds  were  sold  in  Albany, 
to  which  point  they  were  delivered  by 
boat.  Albany  was  then  the  distribu- 
ting centre  for  New  England  and  the 
city  of  New  York,  the  orders  there- 
from being  filled  and  forwarded  on 
barges  down  the  Hudson  River.  For 
seven  years  the  mill  was  operated  by 
Mr.  Chamberlain.  During  the  last 
year  he  was  pressed  to  name  a  price  on 
the  property.  The  Great  Western  Dis- 
tillery at  the  Ivingdom  had  been  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  there  was  a  strong 
feeling  among  some  of  our  ablest  men 
to  revive  the  enterprise  here.  The 
location  in  the  eastern  bounds  of  the 
village  was  desirable  OD  many  accounts. 
At  length  a  price  was  named  for  the 
mill  and  at  once  accepted,  and  the 
property  conveyed  to  John  Shoem«ker, 
George  B.  Daniels  and  Edward  Mj'n- 
derse  in  1850.  Later  on  Alexander  M. 
Van  Cleef  acquired  the  Shoemaker  in- 
terest. The  mill  was  run  as  a  distil- 
lery for  twelve  years,  when  it  was 
burned,  the  lands  and  rights  passiiig  to 


13 


John  J*.  Cowing  and  now    owned    l)y 
llumsey  &  Company. 

At  this  lime  in  18"j0,  the  upper  Ifetl 
MiiJ,  which  had  been  o|)erated  by  the 
Deys  was  oftered  at  public  ssle  to  settle 
the  estate  The  auctioneer  was  crying 
off  the  mills  when  Mr.  Chamberlain 
WHS  driving  by  in  his  buj^gy,  and  hailed 
and  challenged  for  a  bid.  The  bid  wns 
made  and  the  mill  struck  oil'  to  him. 
For  80mo  live  yearn  th<'  mill  was  lun 
bv  him,  then  Willoughby  Hagar  was 
admitted  to  «  partnership.  Later  Mr. 
Hagar  bought  the  Full  street  mill,  sell 
ing  his  interest  in  the  Upper  Red   Mill 


operated  then  and  substqueutly  more 
i'or  custom  and  gri3t,iDg  than  lor 
llouring. 

The  recital  of  bare  facts  needs  the 
touch  of  side  lights.  And  there  are 
many  of  these  to  impart  interest  to  the 
Hubject  of  our  tlouring  mills.  The 
milling  business  then  was  more  than 
making  lliur.  The  millers  were  storers 
of  gi'aiu,  piMMuittiog  farmers  to  draw 
in  their  grain  and  to  set  a  market  price 
within  a  reasonable  time.  They  were 
largely  forwarders,  owning  their  boats 
jmd  employing  men  to  run  them,  and 
honce  a  lleet  every  few  days    was  sail- 


^n=^r 


to  John  P  Chamberlain,  son  of  Jacob 
F.  Chamberlain,  and  the  business  was 
conducted  under  the  name  of  Jacob  P. 
Chamberlain  &  Son,  later  under  the 
name  of  Chamberlain  Brothers,  it  was 
owned  by  John  P  and  Harrison  Cham- 
berlain, and  later  Charles  E.  succeeded 
to  the  John  P.  Chamberlain's  interest. 
In  1808.  July  :3rd,  the  Red  Mill  was 
destroyed  by  tire,  and  a  large  brick 
mill  erected  in  its  place  of  increased 
capacity  and  for  years  a  prosperous 
business  was  carried  on.  The  mill  at 
length  went  to  Charles  E.  Chamber- 
lAiu   &Qd  upon  his  death   to  his   wife, 


ing  out  from  this]  port  with  hour  and 
feed  or  coming  in  from  the  lakes  loaded 
with  grain.  The  toimage  furnished 
the  canal  was  large  and  helped  to  make 
It  a  busy  highway.  If  you  will  think 
of  these  nine  milJB,  operated  in  I8-I0, 
the  two  thousand  barrels  of  flour  as 
their  daily  output,  the  nine  thousand 
bushels  of  wheat  daily  necessary  to 
keep  all  the  niachiuery  running  and  the 
daily  value  of  the  product,  you  will 
form  some  conception  of  the  magni- 
tude ot  the  milling  industry ;  indeed 
the  history  of  the  mills  is  practically 
the  industrial  bistory  of  the  village  for 


14 


the  first  fifty  years.  Other  unlustries 
were  springing  up,  but  the  important 
of  them  were  in  their  infancy  and  not 
prepared  to  tnke  the  place  of  the  mills. 
An  evolutiou  was  under  way  due  par- 
tially to  the  loss  in  fertility  of  our  koU, 
hut  more  especially  to  the  removal  of 
the  milling  centre  wpst.  in  conseciuence 
of  the  opening  of  new  vast  wheal  fields. 
There  is  something  sad  and  pathetic  in 
seting  the  old  enterprises  succeeded  by 
new  ones,  and  yet  this  is  the  law, 
rather  than  the  exception,  of  develop 
ment.  The  advantage  of  the  newer 
forms  is  that  they  have  in  their  prodncts 
more  of  labor  value  and  are  far  more 
sustaining  and  upholding,  demandmg 
higher  training,  skill  and  ability  and 
giving  a  higher  character  to  the  com- 
munity. 

The  story  of  the  mills,  however,  is 
not  half  told,  unless  there  he  carried 
into  it  the  spirit  that  made  them  the  cen- 
tre of  engrossing  and  happy  thoughts. 
The  narrative  ne^ds  the  life  element 
thrown  into  it,  to  impart  local  coloring, 
mental  and  moral  traits,  the  ambitions, 
hopes  and  courage,  the  loves  and  joys 
of  those  who  were  a  part  of  them  ;  and 
(his  can  only  be  imparted  by  a  kindred, 
poetic  genius.  AH  the  parts  of  a  ro 
mance  are  here  that  can  bathe  the  old 
mills  in  a  flood  of  beauty  and  glory  and 
make  them  speak  and  be  felt  in  the 
long.  Jong  years  If  beside  the  Floss, 
gently  hurrying  between  green  banks 
to  the  sea  and  whispering  in  its  low, 
placid  voice  as  to  one  to  whom  it   is 


telling  its  heart's  secrets,  could  be  the 
local  setting  of  George  Elliot's  story, 
how  much  more  here,  in  the  bubbling 
and  passionate  moods  of  the  Seneca, 
amidst  fresh,  striking  and  beautiful 
scenery,  with  its  background  of  dark 
faces  and  gaily  attired  forms  of  the 
Indian  sachem  and  chief!  Not  as 
there  a  people  simple  in  habits  and  de- 
sires, content  to  live  as  those  before 
them,  out  of  which  she  drew  her  char- 
acters with  a  delicacy  and  strength  of 
touch,  so  true  and  life-like  that  they  ap- 
peal to  us  afresh  as  often  as  we  read  of 
them,  but  here  were  a  people  of  sturdy 
and  ambitious  ideals,  mingling  the 
chivalrous  sentiments  of  ihe  Hollander 
and  Huguenot  with  the  strict  ideas  of 
the  Puritan,  Here  they  wrestled  with 
nature  and  forced  her  to  pour  out  her 
horn  of  plenty,  making  the  home  smile 
with  comfort  and  the  graces  of  life. 
The  mills  were  the  creations  of  re 
sourceful.  self-centred  fathers  who 
Joved  nothing  better  than  to  face  and 
conquer  ditBculties;  the  mothers  were 
true  helpmates,  noble,  tender  and  sac- 
rificing, instilling  right  principles  in 
the  family ;  the  young  men  and  women 
had  their  dreams  and  built  their  castles 
with  a  sense  of  responsibity  that  laid 
the  foundations  of  new  homes.  In- 
deed, in  the  delineation  of  character, 
in  the  warp  and  woof  of  a  romance, 
far  more  awaits  to  be  portrayed  here 
than  could  have  been  found  at  Dorlcote 
Mill,  if  the  pen  of  a  George  Eliot  could 
be  won  to  the  task. 


Scnool  District  No.  11,  Town  of  Varlck,  Irom  IBSD 


By  STEPHEN  MONROE 


The  School  house  s'ood  on  the  Wat- 
erloo road  that  rau  through  the  district, 
like  a  tall  letter  S,  angled  instead  of 
curved  When  new  it  was  painted 
red.  but  lime  had  given  it  the  hue  of 
gray.  There  was  uo  shade  in  summer, 
and  through  the  uucurtaiued  windows 
the  blistering  sunshine  poured  relent- 
lessly. Tliere  was  uo  playground  but 
the  highway.  I'he  bricli  chimney  was 
even  with  tlie  roof ,  aud  when  we  played 
'•ante  over"  the  ball  dropped  in  the 
chimney  half  the  time  In  summer 
along  the  road,  the  sheep  and  horse 
sorrel  iirew  luxuriantly,  while  bur- 
doclvs  and  mullens  towered  stately  in 
the  summer  air  and  little  bare  foct  fol- 
lowed crooked  paths  to  avoid  the  <  an- 
ada  thistles.  In  winter  on  the  stake 
and  rider  fences,  .bitter  >vveet  berries 
hung  in  clustei's  aud  gave  to  the  snowy 
landscape  a  linge  of  red  ami  gold. 
When  school  was  not  in  session,  tlie 
smokeless  chimney  and  closed  blinds 
gave  the  house  the  appearance  of  a 
mourner,  desolate  aud  forsaken. 

Inside  a  huge  box  stove  without  legs 
rested  on  a  platform  of  bricks  aud  mor- 
tar. A  cra«k  half  an  inch  wide  en- 
circled it  like  an  irregular  desiree  of 
longitude.  Through  it  the  tire  gleamed 
and  when  the  wind  was  east  liitle  pufls 
of  smoke  rolled  out.  In  winter  the 
sense  of  smell  often  detected  the  scorch- 
ing of  leather  aud  the  steaming  of  wet 
woolens.  The  writing  desks  occupied 
three  sides  of  the  room  embellished 
with  "tlie  i»ick  knife  carved  initials" 
and  little  lakes  and  rivers  of  ink  dried 
on.  Benches  run  alonii  in  front  of  the 
desks,  and  purallel  with  the  stove  were 
two  others  with  backs.  From  these 
children's  feet  swung  like  human  pen- 
duloms  between  heaven  and  earth 
through  many  a  weary  day.  The  gray 
walls  were  decorated  with    autographs 


of  past  aud  present  pupils,  some  written 
with  a  flowing  hand,  others  crude  and 
some  fantastic.  On  the  plastered  ceiling 
«rchii»elagos  of  spit  balls  clung,  tiuug 
by  childish  hands  as  fast  as  their  moutli 
could  manufacture  them.  Over  one  of 
the  doors  the  multiplication  table  of  the 
elevens  had  been  laid  on  in  whi'e 
chalk  in  graceful  curves  and  over  the 
other  appeared  the  words  "KnowkMigc 
is  Power." 

The  pupils  brought  their  dinners  and 
when  the  tin  pails  were  opened  at  noon 
there  was  a  mingling  of  many  odors, 
often  suggesting  a  ivstauiant  run  by 
foreigners.  In  summer  the  heat  often 
caused  the  l)read  to  sour  and  the  butter 
to  become  rancid  and  in  winter  the 
frozen  tarts  were  thawed  on  the  top  of 
tiie  stove.  One  of  the  principal  articles 
of  diet  seemed  to  be  pickles  ;  there  were 
two  varieties,  the  Baptist  kind  packed 
in  salt  and  water,  and  the  (ierman 
Lutheran  that  smelled  of  vinegar  and 
spice.  Water  to  drink  was  brought 
from  the  nearest  well  in  a  patent  |>ail. 
It  often  tasted  of  the  wood  and  the 
remnants  of  paint  that  bad  adorned  it. 

Never  to,  our  knowledge  was  the 
"birch"  emi)loyed  to  keep  order  and 
maintain  discipline,  but  oh  I  the 
teacher's  ruler,  that  scepter  atlair,  two 
feet  long  of  bird's  eye  maple,  was  an 
object  to  t>e  abhorred.  It  hung  by  the 
blackboard  aud  the  sighi  of  it  never 
drew  a  smile  It  could  warm  the,  hand 
<iuiekly  ami  -it  the  same  time  luake  the 
l)lood  tingle  around  the  brain.  School 
began  by,  the  class  in  Saunders  tifth 
reader,  followed  by  the  fourth,  down 
to  the  A  B  Cs.  There  were  two  arith- 
metic! classes.  Davis'  was  all  right  but 
Colburn's  Mental  was  a  nightmare  that 
»goni/.'3d  the  mind  and  kept  the  spirit 
down  In  the  afternoon  came  the 
grammer   class   and   if   we    wishe<l    it 


i6 


once,  we  wished  a  thousand  times  that, 
Lindley  Murraj-  had  never  been  born. 
Then  follo\vP(l  j^eography,  Morse's 
Standard  and  Mitchell's  Primary. 
The  latter  had  pictures  of  the  surrender 
of  Coruwallis  and  the  leaning  tower  of 
I'isa.  The  latter  almost  caused  a  riot 
in  school  when  the  teacher  was  al)sent, 
one  side  (contending  it  was  a  misprint, 
the  other  had  been  built  8o  on  purpose. 

La8t  of  all  came  the  classes  in  spell- 
ing and  the  one  who  could  spell  the 
school  down  was  lauded  a  hero  School 
closed  by  calling  ttie  roll,  eac*!  pupil 
answering  to  name  with  •'|)resent." 

ft  was  llib  custom  in  those  days  for 
(he  teachers  io  board  around  and  we 
thought  ihey  had  a  bnnai  zt  They  had 
the  place  of  honor  at  (he  table,  the  best 
seat  by  the  liri-.  the  largest  piece  of 
minee  pie  for  dinner,  and  when  eiglit 
o'clock  came,  they  could  take  a  lighted 
candle,  andslenpin  the  parlor  bedroom, 
the  dungeon  room  of  the  old  tiuoc  lux- 
ury, where  teeth  used  to  chatter  while 
an  evening  j^rayer  was  lisped,  where 
colds  were  born,  and  in  those  dusky 
shadows  iiilhieiiy-a  and  rheumatism 
fought  for  a  mastery  to  get  at  the  oc 
cupnnt  tirst. 

There  was  no  compulsory  education 
then  aud  a  truant  ctticer  was  unknown, 
lu  taci  it  seemed  to  go  to  the  other  ex- 
treme. The  schools  were  so  attractive, 
parents  hail  to  come  and  haul  the 
children  away.  No  football  team  was 
required  for  the  development  of 
youthful  muscles,  but  if  you  wanted 
something  very  strenuous,  you  could 
take  a  buck  saw  aud  challenge  the 
wood  pde.  On  the  simple  fare  of  conn- 
try  sausage  and  buckwheat  cakes,  the 
mind  and  sinews  grew.  Hrcakfasl 
foods  had  not  come  into  practice.  The 
nerves  were  all  right  and  the  tug  of 
war  lasted  longer  in  niinutes  than  the 
old-fasbioiifd  funeral  sermon  and 
Fourth  of  .lulv  oration  There  was 
sharp  rivalry  as  to  who  was  the  best 
speller,  who  could  stand  highest  in 
mathematics,  or  parse  the  longest  sen- 
tence without  a  mistake. 

Deportment  was  looked  after  and 
rules  for  health  inculcated  as  well. 
There  was  no   algebra,    philosophy   or 


technical  studies.  Sometimee  on  Sat- 
urday afternoons  pieces  were  spoken, 
gleaned  from  the  English  Manual  and 
American  Preceptor,  full  of  patriotism 
aud  of  loft}-  desire  of  the  one  who  was 
monarch  of  all  he  surveyed,  ''of  Lin- 
dens where  the  sun  was  low,"  "of  the 
drums  that  were  silent  at  the  burial  of 
Sir  John  Moore"  and  '-Give  me  Liberty 
or  give  me  death."  We  never  at- 
tempted Julius  Caesar.  His  death  in 
District  No.  1 1  might  have  been  more 
harrowing  that  it  was  in  the  Forum, 

Down  under  the  teacher's  desk,  re- 
posed a  red  box  containing  the  "appar- 
atus" the  solar  system  done  in  wood  on 
ft  mi  nature  scale  and  painted  in  gaudy 
colors.  The  rings  of  Saturn  were  ob- 
jects of  special  attraction.  On  top  of 
this  box  refractory  pupils  were  often 
obliged  to  sit  with  head  turned  over  to 
to  keep  it  from  hitting  the  bottom  of 
the  desk  above. 

This  mode  of  punishment  had  its 
fallacy — the  neck  that  was  innocent 
was  obliged  to  lake  what  another  place 
richly  deserved. 

At  intervals  the  Superintendent  of 
Districts  Schools  made  his  ayjpearanoe 
always  coming  unannounced.  Then 
mental  reinforcements  were  summoned 
to  hold  the  fort.  We  felt  sure  he 
would  skirmish  around  tlrst  and  then 
assail.  The  Hrst  superintendent  we 
knew  was  the  Rev.  Diedrich  Willer.s. 
wlio  brought  his  son,  Calvin.  The 
latter  showed  us  an  ingenious  puzale ' 
aud  how  to  work  the  double  rule  of 
three.  Mr.  Willers  selected  diflereut 
pupils  and  asked  (juestious  at  random. 
His  broken  English  and  impressive 
manners  in  speaking,  carried  force  and 
earnestness  and  at  the  same  time  pro- 
duced a  spirit  of  uueasiness  as  to  what 
was  coming  next.  We  lived  through 
it  however  aud  when  school  was  dis- 
missed, Mr  Willers  stood  by  the  door, 
look  each  pupil  by  the  hand,  spoke 
kindly  aud  asked  their  names.  In  a 
moment's  time  he  cleared  the  horizon 
of  anxiety  and  dread,  and  began  a 
friendship  that  lasted  through  all  the 
succeeding  years. 

Of  the  time  of  which  we  write,  the 
school  was  governed  by  three  trustees, 


17 


each  serving  three  years,  one  elected 
and  one  retiring  each  year.  The 
teachers'  wages  were  paid  in  part  with 
public  monev,  the  balance  rHised  iu  the 
district.  Each  scholar  was  charged 
with  the  number  of  days  attended. 
The  tcMchers  in  our  day  were  El  zabeth 
Monroe  (Yerke*),  .John  Monioe,  Mary 
Huff  (Vanl)uyn;,  Mary  Smiih  (Jacobus) 
Isaac  Adair,  Emily  Vail,  Hannah 
McKn'ght,  Eliza  Ludlum,  Augusta  Bo- 
diue  and  Harriet  Benjtmin  (Burton). 
In  1857  for  a  time  the  school  was  dis- 
continued for  want  of  patronage.  Only 
three  of  the  old  teachers  are  living, 
Mrs.  Harriet  Benjimin  Burton  of  Indi- 
ana, Isaac  Adair,  and  Mary  Smiih 
Jacobus  of  Varick.  The  library  con- 
sisted of  about  forty  volumes.  The 
Select  Library,  an  early  publication  of 
Harper  Brothers,  Headley's  'Life  of 
Washington."  "Napoleon  and  his  Mar- 
shalls,"  Parton's  "Life  of  Horace  Gree- 
ley," the  "Horse  Doctor"  and  the 
"Cow  and  her  Diseases"  and  a  few 
others  of  less  importance. 

Between  the  walls  the  bumble  bees 
had  a  nest  strongly  entrenched.  As 
the  seasons  went  iiy  they  seemed  to  in 
crease  in  numbers  and  viciousm  ss  as 
well.  Their  humming  gave  out 
a  sound  like  ma»hinery  iu  moUon.  We 
never  found  out  Iheir  places  of  en- 
trance and  exit.  Sometimes  a  division 
would  enter  the  room,  sling  a  victim  or 
two  and  retreat  to  their  stronghold. 
Then  the  children's  noses  and  cheeks 
would  be  plastered  with  mud  and  tied 
up  in  bandages  to  reduce  the  swelling. 

One  winter  in  the  attic,  some  grey 
squirrels  made  a  home.  They  were 
never  disturbed  and  grew  so  tame  they 
came  alone:  the  window  sills  out«!ide 
and  looked  in. 

A  little  to  the  north  was  an  orchard 
where  ^arly  harvest  apples  grew  large 
and  ripened  in  the  sun.  They  had  a 
way  of  pushing  themselves  to  the  front 
to  nod  and  b-^ckon  us  over.  They  were 
only  a  few  s'eps  away  but  the  owner 
of  the  orchard  kept  a  dog  of  hungry 
mein,  with  a  runn'ng  gear  of  surpris- 
ing swiftness,  and  eyes  that  indicated 
a  longing  desire  to  feast  on  boys'  bare 
legs. 


One  of  the  big  girls  had  the  habit 
when  entering  the  room  of  hitting  the 
toes  of  her  shoes  on  the  floor  at  every 
8t<  p  to  rid  them  of  the  snow,  slowly 
working  her  way  like  a  disabled  en- 
gine grasping  for  breath.  The  noise 
she  made  often  caused  the  children  to 
laugh.  Once  she  made  sucli  a  racket, 
the  hook  that  held  the  blackboard  up, 
loosened  and  ilie  whole  tning  C!ime  down 
with  a  bang.  It  happened  at  the  very 
moment  the  teacher  was  saying 
"Amen.'' 

Some  of  the  boys  donned  the  army 
blue  and  marched  away  to  the  war, 
and  some  never  came  back.  W^hen 
the  smoke  of  battle  had  rolled  away, 
and  the  roll  was  called  of  the  regiments 
they  were  not  there  to  answer  'here.' 
At  Arlington  and  Norfolk  vast  acres 
are  covered  with  little  white  headstones, 
bearing  the  brief  but  significant  in- 
scription, "unknown"  They  tell  the 
story  of  the  war  more  graphically 
than   historians  have  ever  portrayed  it. 

In  the  spring  of  '57  four  German 
lads  made  their  appearance.  They 
were  husky  fellows,  manly  in  bearing, 
slow  to  anger,  but  quick  to  resent  a 
wroi'g.  They  could  not  speak  a  word 
of  Eijglish  and  could  only  understand 
by  signs  and  motions.  Consequently 
their  progress  was  slow,  rowing 
agtinst,  the  tide  all  the  way.  But  they 
persevered  and  if  any  of  you  happen  to 
know  the  Bower  brothers,  living  in 
Bear V  town  and  Fayette,  you  will  readily 
see  the  kind  of  citizens  they  made  and 
their  success  in  life. 

One  of  the  tallest  girls  had  a'quired 
the  custom  of  bundling  her  head  and 
shoulders  to  an  enormous  extent  and 
letting  the  rest  go.  She  always  looked 
top  heavy  and  liable  to  go  down  before 
the  wind.  Strangers  meeting  her  on 
the  road  must  have  thought  her  some 
kind  of  obstrncticn  sent  out  to  scare 
horses  and  dispute  their  right  of  way. 
The  teacher,  one  <lay,  sat  on  a  bent  pin, 
intended  for  another  Surprised  he 
grabbed  the  wounded  spot  and  landed 
iu  the  middle  of  the  room.  He  said 
nothing,  but  the  look  on  his  face  man- 
ifested the  near  approach  of  something 
tuo    dismal    to    anticipate.       No   one 


i8 


laughed  and  when  the  next  class  was 
called,  for  the  first  time,  it  toed  the 
big  crack  in  the  floor  without  being 
told. 

Miss  McKnight  was  one  of  the  early 
teachers.  She  had  a  big  mole  ou  her 
upper  lip,  a  sigu  she  would  never 
marry  and  she  liever  did,  until  she 
went  to  Michigan  and  settled  in  Wash- 
tenaw county.  At  that  time  the  coun- 
try was  new  and  she  proved  her  ability 
by  as^^isling  to  develope  the  educational 
part  successfully.  She  was  an  excel- 
lent teacher,  away  up  in  the  coniraen 
branches,  knew  how  to  ru  e  with  ut 
noise  or  friction,  spoke  low  and  was 
always    obeyed.  She    wore     in    the 

schoolroom  yellow  buckskin  moccasins 
of  Indian  make,  making  no  noise  in 
moving  about,  appearing  in  unex- 
pected places  and  at  unexpectad  times. 

Isaac  Adair,  a  teacher  of  the  old 
school,  is  still  living.  Quiel  and 
unassuming,  patient  and  persevering, 
endeavoring  in  every  way  to  lighten 
any  burden  that  might  retard  intellect- 
ual growth,  praising  the  victor  and 
cheering  the  laggard,  he  w»s  one  of  the 
best  teachers  we  ever  knew. 

Another  teacher  of  unusual  nbility 
was  Miss  Benjamin.  Impatient  at 
times  and  inclined  to  nervout-ness  she 
often  allowed  her  temper  to  control 
and  occasionally  lost  her  grip.  When 
her  cheeks  flushed  and  eyes  glittered, 
the  sign  was  wrong,  for  any  one  to 
crack  a  hickory-nut  with  their  teeth. 
She  was  earnest  in  her  endeavors  and 
manifested  an  interest  for  all. 

Miss  Vail  of  Long  Island,  was  a 
Presbyterian  of  the  bluest  type,  guard- 
ing every  word  and  action  that  their 
influence  might  be  for  others  good. 
She  was  plain,  sincere  precise  and  sub- 
stantial the  unyielding  foe  of  tobacco 
in  every  form  and  sense.  After  her 
term  was  over,  we  found  hu*  one  day 
working  a  piece  of  embroidery.  She 
did  not  know  that  any  one  was  near. 
Her  head  was  bent  over  her  work  and 
her  thoughts  must  hnve  been  sweet 
for  she  was  softly  sinjrjngs:  '''i'was 
oft' the  Blue  Canary  Isles,  I  smoked  my 
last  cigar."  Saints  above!  Had  Miss 
Vail  secretly  sailed    the  Spanish  main 


and  puffed  a  cigar  on  the  quarter  deck? 
A  biiy  she  had  punished  once  said  she 
had  and  wanted  to  bet  she  had  been  a 
pirate  too. 

Au^iustft  Bodine,  of  Ovid,  was  a 
model  teacher.  Of  pleasing  manner 
and  even  disposition,  she  led  us  with- 
out eft'ort  and  cultivated  the  good  to  the 
extinction  of  the  evil.  Her  smiles  of 
approval  carried  the  weight  of  sincere 
attection.  She  dismissed  school  one 
morning  that  the  pupils  might  go  up 
to  Dr.  Watson's  lot  and  see  the  general 
trMining.  a  great  event  in  those  days. 
The  load  was  crowded  with  people  and 
horses  aiKl  along  the  fences  little  stands 
o»'  boards  and  faded  awnings  where 
men  in  shirt  sleeves  sold  molasses  cak-  s 
and  root  beer  in  stone  bottles  whi  e 
peddlers  went  about  hawking  various 
wares.  A  big  fleld  glittered  with 
military  pomp,  drums  ru,ml)led,  tifes 
shiekbd,  bHnn^"^s  waved  and  men's  faces 
grew  red  under  flaunting  plumes  and 
gleaming  bayonets.  Gen.  A}ersin  new 
uniform  rode  a  chestnut  horse  with 
wliite  feet  and  tail  sprendiug  like  a  fan 
and  touching  the  ground.  Mr.  Ayers' 
appearance  was  more  warlike  than 
Gen  Scott's  lithograph  that  hung  ia 
Ja'<e  Goodman's  shoe  shop. 

0,18  of  the  boys  with  steady  blue 
eyes  and  dark  hair  inclined  to  curl 
wore  the  beauty  of  youth  and  manhood 
blended.  Physically  strong,  accustom- 
ed to  labor  and  holidays  rare,  he  wag 
gifted  with  a  voice  of  uncommon  sweet- 
ness that  found  expression  in  songs 
that  cou'd  exhilerate  and  curapture. 
Morning,  noon  and  night  his  ringing 
notes  floated  over  the  peaceful  farms, 
smoothing  the  irksome  tasks  and  pierc- 
ing the  gloom  of  war.  Fathers  and 
mothers  whose  sons  the  flag  had  called 
awav,  felt  their  inspiration,  and  lovets 
strolling  down  the  road  in  the  moon- 
light stopped  to  listen.  When  he  en- 
listed the  community  experienced  a 
sense  of  loss,  but  when  we  missed  him 
most  we  rememl)ered  that  somewhere  he 
might  be  singing  still.  When  the 
march  became  weary  or  the  campflres 
lantiuished  his  voice  could  induce  his 
comrades  to  forget  war's  desolation  and 
see  in  the  dying  embers  a  vision  of  com- 


19 


ing  peace.  Wherever  he  is  today  we 
would  like  him  to  know  that  his  gonj^s 
that  thrilled  in  '68,  have  never  lost 
their  eiilioing  eharm. 

One  day  the  drinking  cnp  was  lost, 
falling  under  the  floor  and  could  not 
be  reiovert-d.  The  thirsty  scliolaig 
made  an  uproar  thit,  lasted  lill  recess. 
Down  the  south  road  came  a  oni -hor^e 
peddler,  with  a  swaying  load  of  tin- 
ware and  rflgs.  One  of  the  girls  called 
him  to  lifilt  by  asking  the  cost  of  dip- 
pers and  the  price  for  rags  Quietly 
withdrawing  n  pin,  one  of  her  skirts 
dropped  to  the  ground.  This  she 
rolled  up,  had  weighed  and  value  de 
termined.  The  young  ptddler  had 
mischievous  eyes  but  a  benevolent 
heart  and  merrily  gave  in  return  the 
largest  dipper  he  had  When  he  drove 
on  he  fastened  the  sknt  to  a  mop 
handle  and  let  it  wave  above  his  cart 
and  as  he  jogged  along  towanls  Water- 
loo, and  SHUg  mournfully,  "The  girl  I 
left  behind  ine." 

Early  one  nmruing  a  new  scholar 
appeared,  an  Irish  lass  just  over,  of 
tall  and  robust  build.  She  was  awk- 
ward and  unaccustomed  to  Americtn 
ways,  and  stubbed  her  loe  the  first  time 
she  passed  the  water.  Her  tongue  was 
so  thin,  she  could  sli'^e  her  words  and 
tumble  them  out  like  a  hail  storm  in 
June.  She  was  an  apt  scholar  and 
steadily  won  her  way  as  a  general 
fnvorite.  If  she  was  tail  she  was  mus- 
cular,  also  with  one  hand  she  could 
pick  up  a  yonth  of  moderate  stature  and 
pound  the  wall.  She  told  stories  of 
Irish  lore  that  bore  trade  marks  of 
Killnrney  and  Cork  and  hummed  quaint 
melodies  she  bad  gathered  around  the 
peat  tires  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  Often 
the  aim  of  a  practical  j  ke,  we  never 
saw  her  angry.  When  a  boy  rulil)ed  a 
lot  of  burdock  burrs  in  her  hair  the 
only  revenge  she  employed  was  to 
catch  him  and  sit  on  him  while  she 
combed  them  out.  For  a  few  days 
after  the  bny  complained  of  a  horrid 
feeliHg  in  the  vicinity  of  his  chest  but 
could'nt  tell  whether  it  was  worse  be 
fore  or  behind,  so  his  mother  doctored 
him  for  blind  staggers  and  bad  blood. 
She  said    he    had    symptoms  of    both. 


The  last  we  know  of  our  scholar  she 
was  a  matron  with  a  large  following, 
successful  banishing  worry  and  care, 
scattering  sunshine  and  cheer  and  laugh- 
ing wherever  she  happened  to  go. 

liike  all  o'her  district  schools  ours 
was  cosmopoliian.  with  a  variety  of 
intdlects.  fimbitions  and  inclinations. 
We  had  the  boy  who  was  always  right 
and  the  one  sure  to  be  wrong.  The 
boy  who  couldn't  say  V  to  save  h;s  life 
He  sp  )ke  a  pietre  that  wound  up,  "1 
would  rather  be  wiriue  on  the  moun- 
tain top.  than  waller  with  wice  in  the 
walley." 

The  boy  to  start  the  controversy  and 
in  the  heat  of  the  fray  to  get  out  and 
see  the  fun  prolonged.  The  boy  with 
warty  hands  and  the  one  with  a  cow 
lick,  afterwards  Roscoe  Conklin  wore 
one  similar.  The  ambitious  boy  who 
one  day  was  to  run  for  governor  but 
ehanged  his  mind  and  sold  bullheads 
for  eight  cents  a  pound  or  three  pounds 
for  a  quarier.  The  Ijoastful  boy,  who 
feared  nothing  (even  the  mumps)  on 
this  green  o'd  earth,  but  made  a  ter 
rible  fuss  when  some  one  dropped  an 
I  nmense  grasshopper  down  his  back 
under  his  sliirt  collar.  It  kept  going 
around  in  so  many  places  he  had  to 
tear  his  clo'hes  half  off  before  he  could 
get  the  "darn  thing"  out.  It  seems 
odd  that  the  boy  who  was  always  late 
and  slept  over  his  arithmetic  was  the 
one  to  outstrip  the  others  in  the  finan- 
cial success  The  boy  of  quiet  de- 
meanor wh^se  mental  activities  were 
centered  outside  the  school,  often 
reprimanded,  yet  favored  by  teachers, 
around  whose  shins  the  home  cats 
delighted  to  lean,  and  whose  wander- 
mg  footst'ps  stray  dotrs  would  follow 
with  joyful  le-jps,  went  West,  prospered 
wi'h  the  country  and  captured  first 
prizes  at  state  fairs  tor  blooded  stock. 
The  langhino;  bov  who  became  an 
undertaker,  and  the  boy  who  wore  a 
chip  on  his  shoulder  and  dared  any  one 
to  knock  it  off — also  the  extravagunt 
girl  who  wore  spit  curls  and  pantalets 
at  the  same  time,  and  the  aristocratic 
o-iii  who  had  two  cornelian  rings  and  a 
double  string  of  coral  beads 

The    Koon    brothers    were     without 


doubt  the  most  perfect  scholars  in  the 
school.  They  were  manly,  studious, 
obedient  and  peaceful  and  believed  in 
equal  rights.  No  bully  ever  dartd  to 
domineer  in  their  presence.  They 
broutfht  frosted  cakes  with  caraway 
seeds  on  top  and  gave  them  to  tiie  girls 
and  <<Hcndri(k  Sweets"  to  the  boys,  in 
exchange  for  "Dogs'  Noses"  and  "New 
Town  Pippins." 

The  youngsters  dreaded  to  meet  the 
minister  and  when  he  went  out  to  tea 
a  feeling  of  gloom  prevailed,  even  the 
spring  chickens  seemed  to  absorb  it 
and  ran  under  the  barn  before  the 
ministerial  bi-oadcloth  hove  in  sight. 
Only  some  wheezy  hens,  (great-grand- 
mothers) led  by  a  battered  roo-^ter, 
dared  to  venture  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
axe.  The  closed  parlor  was  regentav 
ated  with  fresh  air,  the  plaster  Diana 
removed,  snd  the  family  Bible  con- 
taining the  family  records  taken  care 
of  by  the  oldest  daughter.  The  kit- 
chen was  a  turmoil,  things  stewing  and 
baking,  and  in  a  glass  dish  some  white, 
frothy  islands  weie  about  to  embark  on 
a  custard  sea.  At  the  appointed  hour 
the  guests  would  arrive  and  the  young- 
sters be  obliged  to  sit  straight  and  keep 
still.  It  was  almost  as  distressing  as 
to  sit  at  a  funeral  when  you  he«rd 
the  mourners  ''taise  on"  but  couldn't 
see  whose  horses  might  balk  in  the 
procession.  At  that  time  the  ministers 
were  sedate  and  solpmn,  repressing 
mirth  and  acquiring  dyspeptic  tenden- 
cies. In  early  life  we  never  knew  a 
minister  to  laugh  heartily.  Thev  might 
smile  before  their  annual  donation 
but  when  it  was  over  their  solemnity 
seemed  to  increase.  A  chum  remarked 
that  he  would  rather  walk  through  a 
field  of  thistles  barefooted  than  down 
the  smooth  rond  with  the  minister. 
Even  when  Dr.  Watson's  old  white 
horse  plunged  into  a  hole,  causing  the 
saddle  to  turn  and  the  old  doctor 
to  fly  off  head  first  in  the  mud  and 
water,  followed  by  medicine  bags  and 
a  spilling  of  pills,  and  after  Thomas 
Blain  had  fished  him  out  and  told  him 
he  ought  to  be  prosecuted  for  giving 
the  road  so  much  physic  at  once — the 
minister  standing  by  never  smiled  but 


looking  out  the  corner  of  his  eyes,  im- 
pressively said:  -^The  dispensations  of 
Providence  are  always  wise  " 

But  after  all,  the  handshake  was 
genuine  and  the  welcoim^  sincere.  The 
hostess  would  throw  the  end  of  her 
apron  over  her  head  and  accompany 
her  guests  as  far  as  the  gite,  while  the 
dew  was  falling  and  the  barn  swallows 
flying  overhead.  The  petldler  stopping 
for  a  night  was  treated  as  one  of  the 
family  and  the  best  china  was  laid 
when  the  seamstress  came.  The  stroll- 
ing artisan  with  a  lump  of  rosin,  a 
soldering  iron  and  something  in  a 
bottle  that  smelled  like  decayed  fish, 
mended  tin  pans  and  told  funny  stories 
while  he  worked,  and  so  did  the  mnn 
who  went  about  the  country  wearing  a 
coon  skin  cap  and  shrunken  trousers 
doctoring  old  clocks  that  had  paralysis 
or  St.  Vitus  dance. 

One  afternoon  a  stranger  called, 
asking  the  privilege  to  stop  and  rest. 
The  teacher  ushered  him  to  a  chair 
with  a  smile  of  welcome  and  a  flush  of 
cheek.  He  wore  kid  gloves,  a  velvet 
vest  and  his  gold  watch  key  bore  mys- 
tic symbols.  The  teacher  went  behind 
the  desk,  put  on  her  comi^any  apron 
with  three  flounces  edged  with  tatting 
and  with  the  aid  of  a  little  mirror,  the 
size  of  a  silver  dollar,  arranged  a  curl 
behind  her  ear.  She  made  it  very 
pleasant  for  the  stranger,  handing  him 
books  and  asking  if  the  room  was  too 
warm.  He  seemed  to  have  a  moist 
eye  th^it  demanded  constant  attention 
and  when  he  wasn't  wiping  that  one 
he  was  looking  at  her  apron  with  the 
other.  He  addressed  the  school,  praised 
the  teacher,  commented  on  the  attentive 
behavior  of  the  pupils,  said  his  name 
was  William  Ross  from  Waterloo, 
bowed  low,  shook  hands  and  went 
away. 

Tne  teacher's  face  was  radiant.  She 
stood  by  the  window  and  watched  him 
go  down  the  road.  As  he  finally  dis- 
appeared she  went  back  to  her  desk 
and  took  oft  her  apron — then  her  face 
turned  red,  then  white  and  then  black. 
She  had  worn  the  ft  >unces  in  instead  of 
out  and  the  apron  had  failed  to  charm 
Then  she  snapped  up  the  school  and  if 


they  didn't  behave  she  wonlil  know  the 
reason  why,  and  to  loake  it  more  em- 
phatic, she  made  little  Mary  8ix  )ury 
s'and  oil  the  floor  ju-t  beciuse  sue  had 
laughed  and  upset  a  l>ottIe  of  ink. 

Mr.  Ross  never  called  again  and  the 
short  romance  ended  ahruptlv,  which 
if  con'inupd  mi^ht  have  influenced 
ev<ry  district  school  in  northern  Seneca. 

When  the  fair  grounds  at  Waterloo 
were  opened  to  the  public  some  one 
asked  liow  the  grand  stand  looked. 
The  reply  was  thai  it  resembled  Frank 
Hilkert  and  bis  fnmily.  You  went 
up  step  by  step  till  you  got  to  the  top 
and  the  ti)p  was  high  and  the  whole 
thing  covered  a  lot  of  ground  The 
family  was  the  largest  in  the  district, 
often  swaying  the  balance  of  power. 
The  girls  were  studious  and  persever- 
ing— the  boys  well  inclined,  champion 
wrestlers,  swift  runner-,  and  tAo  could 
stand  on  their  heads  longer  than  the 
men  who  wore  the  spangles  in  Van 
Amburg's  circus. 

Gen.  Ayers  lived  in  the  fine«t  house 
in  the  district.  They  had  the  only 
piano — furniture  upholstt  red  in  broch- 
atel,  benutiful  fenders  for  the  fire 
places  and  andirons  of  polishfd  bra«s. 
In  the  attic  were  stored  four  tall  po'^ted 
bedsteads  with  draperits  of  chintz, 
old  candlesticks  with  prisms  and  old- 
fashioned  chairs  a  former  gen^rli^lion 
had  handed  down.  This  house  and 
contents  burned  down  about  six  years 
ago.  Mr.  Ayers  owned  a  little  thresh- 
ing machine  of  one  cylinder,  nb'Ut  the 
size  of  a  wheel  liarrow  and  like  a  vel- 
low  jacket  that  could  make  as  much 
noise  as  a  bumble  bee,  his  barn  used 
to  hum  at  threshing  time.  He  em 
plojed  old  men  and  boys  to  assist. 
Uncle  Jonas  (Tuiren,  eighty  years  old, 
without  hat.  coat  or  too'h,  stood  on 
the  h^rse  power  and  yelled  at  the 
horses,  wildly  cutting  the  air  with  a 
switch  too  short  to  reach  them.  Mr. 
Ayers  fed  the  machine  so  fast  it  often 
clogged,  and  had  to  be  taken  np^rt. 
Sometimes  a  stone  went  zipping 
through  and  every  one  thought  their 
last  day  had  come. 

In  the  heat  and  dust  of  the  barn, 
the  dinner  horn  carried  a  joyful  sound. 


Under  the  locust  tree  on  a  bench  was  a 
new  tin  wash  basin,  t- littering  in  the 
sun.  A  long,  clean  towel  swung  on  a 
limb  above  and  near  by  two  buckets  of 
water,  just  rait^ed  from  the  bottom  of 
a  forty  foot  well. 

There  wtre  five  log  houses  in  the 
district,  the  one  on  the  west  belonging 
to  Gen.  Ay  res,  the  one  east  by  the 
Corduroy  road  where  Garret  Durling 
lived  and  three  on  the  Waterloo  road, 
Isaac  Brassi  gton's,  Ben  McKinsler's 
and  Levi  Thompson's.  The  widow 
Smith  and  family  ocrcupied  a  house  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  district.  It 
was  roomy  and  of  old  design.  The 
moss  grew  on  the  fincient  roof  and  the 
exterior  was  grey  and  weatherworn, 
the  sport  of  sunshine,  wind  and  rain. 
Inside  heavy  beams  dark  with  age  and 
a  xawnino;  fire  place  filled  the  end  of  a 
large  room.  When  the  autnmn  fires 
were  kindled,  the  red  light  flashed 
through  the  windows  and  cheered  travel- 
ers passing  on  the  road.  A  rail  fence 
ran  in  front,  the  big  yard  filled  with 
old  fashioned  flowers — a  wilderness  in 
bloom. 

There  the  crown  imperials  grew  in 
kingly  pride,  the  bleeding  hearts  swung 
by  the  garden  gate  hnd  up  the  slender 
posts  of  the  old  porch  the  morning 
glories  nud  creepers  spread  out  their 
foliage  and  swunir  voiceless  bells  of 
purple,  white  and  blue.  In  the  long 
summer  days,  shinii'g  rows  of  milk 
pans  caught  the  sun's  rays,  and  in  the 
fall  big  brass  kettles  hung  over  chunks 
of  burning  w^ood  full  of  bubbling  apple 
butter  It  was  a  home  of  industry  and 
thrift.  When  the  spinning  wheels 
were  silent  the  knitti-  g  needles  clicked 
and  gleamed  in  the  firelight  and  the 
paring  machine  flung  apple  skins  over 
the  floor.  Twenty  ytars  aio  this  old 
landmark  was  taken  down  and  another 
connecting  link  between  the  old  times 
and  the  new  went  the  way  of  the  unre- 
turning.  A  surprise  party  in  a  lumber 
WHgon  arranged  by  Peter  Wyckoft  vis- 
ited this  house  in  the  early  fifties,  an 
event  long  remembered.  Returning 
home  late  at  night  they  drove  off"  the 
end  of  a  bridge  and  the  wagon  was 
overturned  but  no  one   hurt.     Charles 


and  Mary  Vail,  David  Monroe,  Peter 
Wyckoff  and  Mrs.  Jane  Monroe  are  sur- 
vivors of  ttiat  hilHrions  occurence. 

A  little  to  the  east  is  Cranbury  Marsh 
at  that  time  abundant  with  small  tjame. 
Amon^  briar  and  brake  the  muskrats 
burrowed  and  turtles  crawled  from 
musky  pools  to  t)ask  in  tiie  sun.  The 
crows  gatheied  on  the  dead  trees  and 
harshly  cnwed  while  away  up  in  thn 
blue,  the  hawk  circled  in  peerless  forms 
on  graceful  wing  Sometimes  the  air 
was  darkened  with  fl>cksof  wild  pigeons 
who  fed  on  the  fields  of  stubble  and  the 
buckwheat  growing  near.  Here  Isaac 
Brassiiigton  and  his  dogs  hunted  for  fox 
and  mink  every  winter,  following  their 
tracks  in  the  snow 

The  old  Boice  Tavern,  a  part  of 
which  stills  remains  was  old  in  years 
in  ihe  early  fifties  In  its  prime,  loiis 
were  hauled  in  by  horses  to  feed  the 
tire-places  and  drovers  would  stop  for 
a  night  and  hold  carnival  with  cha'ice 
acquaintances  over  glass^e-*  of  ej?g-nog 
and  apple-jack.  In  the  tire  light  old 
time  whigs  and  loco  focos  fought  a 
bloodless  war  and  young  horsemen 
tilked  of  Fashion  and  Flora  Temple's 
wonderful  acnievements  on  the 
Long  Island  race  course.  After  the 
death  <if  the  proprietor, the  tavern  grad- 
ually lapsed  into  decay.  Jiicob  Ben- 
jamin for  a  time  lived  in  the  large  part 
and  in  a  measure  preserved  its  ancient 
glories.  Olten  at  midnight,  the  big 
b'lil  room  i  lumina  ed  with  candles, 
loomed  like  a  tirey  beacon  hlong  the 
country  read  Through  open  windows 
cnme  the  peal  of  violins,  the  sound  of 
flying  feet  and  a  glimpse  of  youthful 
couples  circling  arouii  1.  Th^'se  scenes 
of  hilarity  some'imes  had  a  disturbing 
etiect.  The  farm  dogs  resented  it  with 
dismal  howls,  it  awoke  the  nest  of 
owls  in  tlie  hickory  tree  and  parents 
inclined  to  early  hours,  raised  their 
voices  in  open  rebellion.  A  wedding 
was  celebrated  here,  the  bride  a  niece 
of  the  landlord.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  ceremony  (he  landlord  gave  the 
clergyman  a  dollar,  requesting  ano'her 
pra3er,  as  the  people  assembled  were 
immensely  wicked  and  the  groom  the 
biggest  cuss  in  the  lot. 


On  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
district  is  the  homestead  and  farm  the 
writer  knows  best.  Every  acre  has  an 
association  and  every  landmark  is  au 
inspiration.  Under  the  roof  friends 
have  met  and  mjide  merry  and  a  family 
grew  up  and  went  away.  Around  the 
kitchen  tire  stories  were  told  of  the 
golden  west  where  voyagers  went  by 
Isihmus  or  sailed  around  Cape  Horn — 
of  the  birth  uf  the  Republican  party  and 
the  comedies  and  tragedies  p-^rtaiuing 
to  the  early  selliement  of  Varick.  Here 
by  caudle  light  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin' 
was  read  in  the  tirst  edition  and  tran- 
sient guests  sang''Suwauee  River  'when 
that  old  song  was  new  Around  the 
chimneys  tlie  lightning  used  lo  play. 
Serenaders  gathered  at  the  front  gate 
and  in  the  lane  fl'igs  run  up  and  un- 
furled for  Gen.  Scott,  Fremont,  and 
Atirahara  L-ncoln.  When  the  stage 
went  rumbling  l)y  sometimes  the  pas- 
seng-  rs  would  lean  out,  dofi  their  hats 
and  hurrah  for  the  candidates,  often 
supplemented  wi  h  a  "Bully  for  him." 
With  a  year  or  two  intervening,  in  the 
grey  dawn  of  a  summer  morning  a 
train  of  circus  wagons  with  an  elephant, 
some  camels  and  Shetland  ponies  went 
swaying  over  th«  highways  with  rows 
of  men  fast  asleep,  rocking  on  the  tops 
of  the  baggnge  wagons. 

A  boy  lived  here  who  caused  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church  to  use  an  ambiguous 
word,  commencing  with  a  capital  D 
and  ending  with  a  little  n.  A  tiat  pack- 
age lay  in  the  road  when  thn  mud  was 
deep  and  trying  to  rescue  it,  his  hat 
fe  1  otr  and  a  rubber  stuck.  The  pack- 
age contained  a  tiofle  of  water  and  the 
message  ''Avoid  any  appearance  of 
evil'.  The  man  drew  the  cork,  tasted 
of  the  water  and  got  furious  He  pro- 
claimed  he  would  give  his  bottom  dol- 
lar to  go  to  that  boy's  funeral  and  do 
the  eulogizing.  The  boy  wondered, 
what  was  in  the  verse  of  Scripture  to 
make  the  m^n  tear  around  so. 

On  the  wfSt  corner  lived  the  Covert 
families.  Uncle  Tunis  and  Aunt  Sally 
an  aged  couple,  their  son,  Abram  and 
his  wife  and  a  pair  of  peacocks.  The 
Coverts  were  standbys  in  sunshine  and 
storm,    generous,    kind    and   obliging, 


25 


their  recreation — attending  funerals 
and  ridiug  to  Waterloo.  Ooe  night 
some  body  broke  into  tlieir  barn  and 
stole  all  the  harness.  Uncle  Tunis  was 
behind  a  dooi  but  ditl  not  dare  to  in- 
terfere. The  next  dfiy  lie  told  a  neigh- 
bor if  it  happened  again  lie  would  run 
a  pitchfork  ilirough  the  thief.  Aunt 
Silly  with  a  niglii  cap  on  her  head, 
heard  him  and  in  a  frantic;  voice  called 
out  from  the  p  >rcli,  "  Tunis,  wliy  in 
blazes  didn't  yen  whale  hi  n  when  you 
seen  him  take  it,  that'rf  wh*it  I'd  like 
to  know."  I'liis  made  Uncle  Tunis 
'Mjoil  over"  and  lie  tlung  bsck  the  angry 
retort,  "Dry  up  and  shut  tlint  door  " 

The  C  tverts  seemed  to  delight  in 
gloomy  surroundings.  Their  living 
room  was  large  with  one  window  and 
over  that  a  jessHuiine  vine  was  growing. 
The  walls,  darkened  t)y  time,  had 
bunches  cf  peaco  -k  feathers  r  nd  aspar- 
agus vines  hung  over  the  depressing 
pictures,  the  death  beds  of  George 
Washiug'on  and  John  Wesley— a  mon- 
ument under  a  willow  wi'h  a  mourner 
in  the  act  of  df- positing  a  wreath — Samp- 
son slaying  the  Philistines  and  piling 
them  up  and  the  Tree  of  Life  growing 
by  a  river,  bending  under  the  wtighl 
of  a  tropic  fruit  of  vaiious  colors  and 
diiferent  names  growing  thereon.  But 
they  were  tine  people.  On  ihe  end  of 
a  shelf  lay  two  pairs  of  spectacles  with 
heavy  silver  slides  and  on  a  stand  by 
the  window,  a  big  old  Bible  printed 
before  the  Revolution.  Constant  refer 
euce  had  caused  the  leaves  to  loosen 
and  time  had  turned  the  pages    brown. 

Mrs  John  Yakely  Sr.,  made  the  be-^t 
'crullers'  mortal  ever  ate.  A  boy's 
pocket  would  hold  two  but  the  ends 
stuck  out  and  if  another  boy  saw  them  a 
battle  mijiht  follow  and  the  fur  was  sure 
to  fly.  She  was  a  noted  conk  adhering 
to  the  German  method.  People  ri,iing 
on  the  hijihway  catching  a  whitl' of  her 
savory  dimiers,  wou'd  whip  up  the 
horses  and  hurry  home  and  scold 
soundly  if  dinner  were  delayed. 

The  Deharts  were  a  family  of  grown 
ups.  too  old  to  attend  school.  The 
various  harvest  fields  knew  them  inti- 
mately in  summer  weather.  When  the 
sun  came  up  over  Covert's  orchard  and 


the  dew  lay  heavily  on  the  grass,  you 
might  see  the  three  with  scathes  or 
cradles  making  for  some  tield  of  labor. 
Th  y  were  a  family  of  slow  movements 
aud  exercised  a  fierce  hostility  toward 
the  DeiU'cratic  party.  Nothing  could 
get  their  dander  up  as  quick  as  Buch- 
anan's name. 

Mr.  (Jarret  Durling  was  a  cripple 
and  >ufr.  red  from  a  nerv(  us  disease. 
When  lie  start*  d  for  a  pate,  it  took 
him  some  time  to  tiet  up  the  power  of 
locomotion  and  then  h"  couldn't  s  op 
when  he  wanted  to.  Mrs.  During  was  a 
museular  womai  — 'lad  a  gentle  touch 
in  liftiidling  a  stone  bruise,  and  a  ban 
tone  voice  that  could  charm  away  pain. 
She  sold  cabbai;e  plauits  counting  them 
out  in  Dutch,  a  great  advantage  for 
those  who  bought  as  her  German  ren- 
dering alvvajs  exceed-d  the  English 
count.  They  had  a  dnughter  of  suii-'J 
disposition.  In  the  winter  .-he  was 
taken  ill  and  when  the  summer  days 
grevv  long  she  died.  In  our  experience 
it  was  (he  first  time  death  had  entered 
the  district  an<i  we  could  not  fathom 
the  mystery  or  undnrstand  its  meaning. 
We  wondered  if  she  could  be  happy 
away  from  school— if  she  knew  we 
missed  her  and  was  afraid  of  the 
night.  During  the  years  that  followed 
the  old  log  house  became  an  object  of 
veneration.  We    remembered     that 

there  the  gentle  spirit  of  Elizibeth 
Durling  took  flight  for  the  celest'al 
real  in. 

Mr.  and  Mrs  Cronk  lived  on  the 
east  corner.  They  were  elderly  people 
of  the  highest  respectibiliiy,  leading 
quiet  lives,  now  and  then  enlivened  by 
ttie  exciting  application  of  a  mustard 
plaster.  Mrs.  Cronk  was  short  but  very 
large  around  and  when  scales  did  not 
weigh  over  three  hundred  pounds  there 
was  no  earthy  use  oC  tier  trying  to 
climb  on.  In  summer  the  heat  op- 
pressed and  noise  disturbed  her.  IE 
the  tjocd  Lord  would  only  create  a 
breed  of  fowls  with  crowless  roosters 
and  hens  willing  to  lay  more  and  brag 
less,  it  would  be  a  ve;-y  wise  and  sen- 
sible thing  to  do,  and  the  danged  flies 
they  were  enough  in  her  kitchen  to 
transport  her  to  Paradise  if  they    only 


made   themselves  useful,  but  her  hus- 
band remarked,  'Mf  they  undertook  the 
job,  he  didn't    propose  to  hang  around. 
If  the  flies  lost  their  hold  and  she  fell, 
it  would  soiash  him  flatter  than  a  cent." 
Life  in  those  dnys  was  strenuous  for 
a  home,  wariutli  and  comfort.       It    is 
strenuous    still    for    a  habitatiou    with 
a'l    the    luxurips.    rugs   from  over  the 
sea,  garmenis  designed  by  foreign  art- 
ist-,   electric    bells,      freneh    pets    and 
olive  oil.     Are  we  any  happiei?     Then 
the  congregations  sang  for  the  love  of 
it,  their  voices  rising  in  unison,   keep- 
ing time  to  heart  beat  and    movements 
of  foot.     They  used  to   thrill    nm\    in- 
spire, touch  the  heart  and    make     the 
rough  places  in   l.ife    seem    even.     It's 
difierent  now  ard  people  wonder    what 
lis  all  about  and  if  the    Lord    likes   it 
any    better    than    they    do       The  auto 
rushes  over  the  same  roads  theox-uaits 
made  when  the  country  was    new,  and 
the  sinell  of  gasoline  helps  out  the  im- 
pression   that    chariots    of  tire  are    in 
common  use.       The    back  logs   of    the 
old  fire  place*  burned  out  louif  ago,  the 
clay  pipes  and  tobacco  have  he-  n    laid 
aside,  the  pitcher    of    cider    wailed    in 
vain  for  the  return  of  the  story    tellers 
who  had  gone  on  the  long  journey.    The 
well    sweep    vanij^hi  d   and    ihe     o-iken 
bucket  dropped   apart.       Som  i   of    the 
old  houses  remain    but    the    boys    and 
girls  grew  up,  went    away    an  I    under 
diflerent  skies  have  fe't    the    pnng.s    of 
regret  and  dropped  the  homesick  tear. 
A  strolling  minister,    wearinsr  green 
goggles,  tight  pants,  red  top  boots  and 
a  leather  strap  buckled  tigtu  around  his 
waist,  went  about  announcing  a    relig- 
ious service.     At  night  fnll  the  school 
house  was   well  fiHed,   hut    no    fire    to 
liti  the  chi'l  of  the  April   nii^ht.      The 
lights    had    been    negUcted    and    some 
bojs  went  out  for  candles    While  wait- 
ing a  dog  und*^r    a    bench  gave  out  a 
growl    that  was  taken    up  by    another 
and  a  fight  ensued,  making    an   uproar 
almost    as  great    as    when    a    "devil's 
darning  needle"   came   to  inspect    the 
school.     It  was  over  in  a   moment    but 
it  took  a  longer  time  for  the    peop'e  to 
forget     it    and    to    concentrate    their 
thoughts   on    religious    themes.      The 


24 

candles  were   brought   but   no   candle- 
sticks.    One    was    inserted    in    a  knot 
ho'e    and    a    boy    pleaded    to  hold    the 
others.     In  a  few   minutes  the  boy  was 
asleep  and  his  ciothes  blazing.     Hauled 
otf  the  "eat,  rolled  on  the  floor,  slapped, 
pounded  and    frantic    with    fright     the 
boy  fought  his  rescuers   right  and  left, 
consigning  (hem    to   a   place  the  Cate- 
chism had  warned  humanity   to    avoid. 
In  the  turmoil  a  country    beau    injured 
his  foot  and  went  home  mnd  and  limp- 
ing  after   seeing    his    hated    rival    go 
home     with     his    girl.     The     minister 
asktd  Freeman  Covert  to  raise   a   win- 
dow and  let  out  the   smoke.     Mr.    Co- 
vert   was    deaf   and    thought  the  min- 
ister   wanted    tobacco    and    replied  ac- 
cordingly, "Not  a  heavingly  mite,  I've 
quit  chawing."     To   the  surprise  of  all 
the    sermon  was  one  of   the  very  best, 
crisp,    logical    and    convincing;    deliv- 
ered in  vigorous  and    graceful    phrase, 
but  the  shadow  of  the  minister,  cast  by 
a  candle  in  front.  looked  like  an    enor- 
mous bat  ready    to   devour    him.      We 
never  knew  the  denomination  the  min- 
ister represented      It  was   a  new   one 
of  course    as   no    collection    was  takfn 
up.     The  rest  of  the  n^ght    must   have 
been  lonely  for    the    minister,  sleeping 
in  the  school  house,  the  dictionary    for 
a  pillow  and  the  cobwebs  hansing   too 
hinh    to     warm    him   while    he    slept. 
The  next  morning  he  had  breakfast   at 
a  farm  house  and  the  hostess  unwisely 
asked  him  if  he  believed  in   a   personal 
devil       J'he  question  amazed  the    min- 
ister  and  after  thiokiuir  a  moment,  he 
vigorously  replied,  "Well,    if   there  is 
one  he  cannot  feel    any    meaner  than  I 
do."     During  the  day  a  trustee    sent  a 
boy  to  the   school    house   to   see  if  the 
minister  had    carried    anything   away. 
The    broom    and     waterpail    were    all 
right  and  the  tongs  lay  on  the    flior    to 
stumble  over  as  usual,    but    the    black- 
board was  down  and    written    thereon, 
no  doubt  intended  for  a    mild    rebuke, 
these    words:      "The  saaie    Lord  who 
protpcted    Dnniel    in    the   den   of  wild 
lions,  staved    with    me   in    a  room  full 
of    tame  ones."     Lower  down    was    a 
hand,  pointing  to   a  verse,  torn  from  a 
hymn  book  and  held  by   a  pin: 


25 


"Behold  a  stranger  at  your  door, 
He  gently   knocks,  lias   knocked  be- 
fore, 
Has  waited  long,  is  waiting  s'.ill. 
You  treat  no  other  Friend  so  ill." 
We  never  siw  the  miiusier  again  but 
have  thought  of  him  often,  as   u  picket 
in  advance    of    the    singing    host — the 
Salvation  Army. 

As  the  years  rolled  on,  and  some  of 
the  bright  eyes  were  growing  dim, 
and  tlixen  heads  turning  grey,  the 
time  came  for  the  old  scbcol  house  (o 
go.  A  new  one  was  budt  upon  the 
same  site  and  ot  similar  dimensions. 
-All  of  ih'^  (hi  pupils  have  gone  ami  all 
the  'old  farms  have  changed  owners 
excepting  one,  Wilson  Smith's,  where 
he  and  his  sister,  Harriet,  still  reside. 
The  old  woodlands  have  nearly  disap- 
peared—  lit'le  fields  have  helped  to 
form  prairies,  and  the  shallow  me- 
andering stream  along  whose  sunny 
margins  the  yellow  huttei-flies  held 
conventions,  and  where  boys,  with 
hides  toughened  by  exposure  and  bul 
let  proof  against  mosquito  bites —tried 
to  swim,  part  in  the  water  and  very 
much  out,  has  found  a  new  chan 
nel  and  the  bottom  of  the  'id  one  been 
used  to  fertilize  a  new  variety  of  early 
tomatoes.  The  rag  carpets  woven  on 
household  looms  have  lasted  longer 
than  tlie  weavers.  Barn  raisings,  po- 
litical rallies  and  glee  clubs  belong  to 
a  generation  we  hold  in  grateful  mem- 
ory. The  colporteur  and  the  spell- 
binder are  laboring  in  a  new  domain. 
The  old  fashioned  quilting  party,  with 
a  pot  pie  for  dinner  and  elderberry 
cordial  passed  in  the  afternoon,  has 
given  place  to  the  study  of  parlimeu- 
tary  law.  My !  How  the  cordial 
could  limber  up  feminine  tongues, 
make  needles  jab,  thread  snarl  and 
words  come  wrong  end  to  A  hostess 
declared  after  the  guests  had  departed 
the  herring  bone  pattern  looked  twist- 
ed up  and  a  Lisbon  earthquake  couldn't 
have  made  it  look  any  worse.  After 
this  the  ace  of  spades  and  the  queen  of 
diamonds,  wishing  to  extend  their  do- 
minions, moved  from  the  hay  mow  in 
to  the  parlor  and  crowded  the  old  set- 
tlers out.     The  smoke  curling  skyward 


from  Mr.  Sweezy's  coal  pit  no  longer 
unfurls  into  horizontal  bars  and  hover 
over  the  quiet  lantlscape  while  the  sun 
is  going  down  No  one  can  till  the 
place  of  dohn  Y.  Manning  at  the 
country  celebrntions  voicing  a  national 
air  from  a  rude  platform  in  nature's 
t-^mple,  thrilling  the  country  throng 
and  makii'g  the  leafy  arches  of  the 
country  f»<rest  ring.  In  lookmg  back 
to  the  old  days  we  hud  much  to  admire 
and  little  to  condemn.  Their  mem- 
ory is  as  sweet  as  a  plantation  melody, 
raised  by  tuneful  voices  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  They  will  never  grow  old. 
The  district  school  sent  out  men  and 
women  well  ecjuipped  to  overcome  ob- 
stacles and  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  time  For  good  citiz  unship  they 
have  made  their  mark,  and  in  the 
cause  of  right  have  been  valiant  and 
brave.  Their,  homes  were  pleasant 
and  of  open  hosjntality.  The  kitchens 
large,  commodious,  served  as  sitting 
rooms  and  tallow  dips  and  the  glow  of 
wood  fires  filled  them  with  radiance 
and  charm.  Then  the  spinning  wheels 
spun  a  thread  and  hummed  a  tune, 
the  tea  kettle  merrily  sang  and  the 
pan  of  red  spitzanburgs  and  golden 
pippens  waited  to  greet  the  neighborly 
guest.  Tall  old  clocks  ticked  olf  the 
minutes  and  loudly  rung  the  hours, 
dogs  slept  under  the  elevated  ovens 
and  growled  when  they  dreamed  of 
rabbit  and  coon,  while  playful  kittens 
wrestled  to  possess  the  ball  of  yarn  as 
it  stirred  in  the  knitter's  lap.  On  dark 
nights  the  perforated  tin  lantern  blazed 
the  way  to  country  gatherings.  The 
almana<!  was  consulted  at  planting  time 
and  fence  posts  set  according  to  the 
moon.  Men's  pantaloons  were  kept  in 
place  with  a  button  under  the  instep, 
ladies'  gowns  hooked  up  behind,  with 
sleeves  beginning  below  the  arm  pits 
and  every  dress  had  a  pocket  or  two. 
Mothers — modest  ijueens  of  domestic 
kingdoms — sported  head  gear  of  velvet 
and  lace,  and  girls  aspiring  to  bell- 
dom  wore  cameo  earrings,  breastpins, 
and  engagement  rings  much  in  evi- 
dence, when  spit  curls  threatened  to 
unmoor. 
Some  of  the  old  furniture   has   been 


26 


wrapped  in  burlap  and  shipped  to  the 
homes  of  the  city  bred.  They  must 
feel  lonesome  in  their  new  environ- 
ment, objects  of  domestic  birth  and 
fatherland,  scattered  among  marbles 
and  windows  of  decorative  art.  Their 
place  is  where  the  simplicity  of  life 
exists  and  lives  are  lived  without  ven- 
eer. If  the  buyers  could  only  purchase 
the  old  associations,  of  which  tbey  have 
been  the  silent  contributors  of  the 
solemn  moments  when  clocks  were 
stopped  while  the  funeral  lasted, 
signiticant  that  E'ernity  was  unmeas- 
ured by  earthly  time — of  golden  hours 
when  lessons  were  coaned  at  night 
while  winter  snows  were  drifting  and 
tinkling  bells  and  merry  voices  went 
riding  by.  Of  examples  overcome 
and  pieces  to  speak  committed  to  mem- 
ory. Yes  and  the  Thanksgiving  din 
ners,  the  Christmas  cheer,  the  wed 
ding  feasts  and  the  joyous  limes  when 
youthful  feet  kept  step  to  the  swift 
merry  music  of  flute  and  violin  in  Cecil- 
ian  Circle  and  Virginia  Rnel,  they 
would  be  regarded  with  newer  feelings 
of  aflectionate  interest  and  guarded 
with  a  jealous  care. 

As  the  years  rush  on  the  farther  we 
are  drifting  from  the  old  scenes.  The 
dial  of  time  never  retrogrades  but  in 
the  shadowy  realm  of  reminisceiice  the 
old  forms  and  faces  are  lingering  still. 
In  summer  twilight  or  by  glowing 
grate  in  frosty  weather,  we   delight  to 


summon  them  back  to  the  old  time 
scenes.  Again  the  deserted  homesteads 
teem  with  happy  life,  and  faces  hidden 
under  ttie  grasses  of  many  years,  smile 
a  recoguiiion  and  beam  a  welcome. 
One  by  one  in  the  little  school  room 
the  scholars  reassemblp,  unfaded  by 
absence  and  shorn  of  the  livery  of  age, 
that  time  imparts.  Again  the  girls 
have  fair  brows  and  braided  hair,  the 
boys  ruddy  cheeks  nnd  wistful  eyes. 
Noiselessly  the  teacher  moves  about 
commanding  attention  and  winning 
approvil.  Ou'side  the  meadows  are 
green,  the  cattle  grazing,  the  dandelions 
blooming,  the  birch  limbs  in  Covert's 
woods  bending  low  and  the  summer 
sunshine  is  over  all. 

From  that  little  room  the  pathways 
of  life  diverge  and  over  the  continent 
soi.ie  of  the  little  feet  are  destined  to 
wander.  Some  to  achieve  and  some 
to  falter,  some  to  climb  to  the  hitrh 
places  and  some  to  stay  in  the  v«le. 
some  to  cross  tlie  mysterious  river  for 
the  JHsper  walls  of  unfnding  beauty 
and  harbor  lights  reflected  in  the  cry- 
stal deep  in  eternal  gleam,  others  to 
linger  and  feel  the  stings  of  interrupted 
communion  and  with  misty  eyes  look 
upon  voiceless  lips  and  folded  hands, 
all  to  know  sorrow,  all  to  bear  bur- 
dens, but  none  to  willingly  forget  the 
simple  joys  we  had  in  common  when 
life  was  young  and  the  centre  of  the 
world  was  Varick  District,  No.  11. 


History  of  Trinity  Church 


COMPILED  BY  GEN.  G.  M.  GUION 
With  Additions  By  a  Later  Hand 


The  history  of  a  parish  is  the  history 
of  a  people.  The  building  of  a  ciiarch 
luirks  au  epoiii  in  ihe  annals  of  civili- 
zation. Its  iiilluence  is  fell  throuirliout 
ail  time,  aud  its  records  become  invalu- 
able to  the  historian  and  the  coLuniunity 
in  whicli  it  exists.  It  will  be  the  aim 
of  the  writer  to  present  in  concise  form 
the  history  of  Trinity  parish,  Seneca 
Falls,  compiled  from  the  carefully  pre- 
served (ifficiai  records,  which  date  back 
to  the  orj^anization  of  the  parish  on  the 
13ih  day  of  January,  1831,  when  "at 
a  meeting  held  in  the  Franklin  Insti- 
tute, in  the  vili-age  of  Seneca  P'alls,  of 
mnle  persons  of  full  age.  of  the  church, 
congregation  or  religi  lus  society  of  said 
village,  in  which  divine  worship  is 
celebrated  aircording  to  the  rites  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  this 
State,  for  the  purpose  of  incorporating 
theo'seives  and  of  electing  church  war- 
dens and  vestrymen,  notice  thereof 
having  been  previously  given  according 
to  law,  the  Rev  Reuben  Hubbard  was 
called  to  the  ch'iir,  and  J'<hn  Morgan 
acted  as  secretary."  On  motion  of 
Garry  V.  Sackett  it  was  resolved  that 
the  meeting  proceed  to  take  the  neces 
sary  legal  measures  to  incorporate 
themselves  under  the  act  entitled  "An 
act  to  provide  for  the  incorporation  of 
religious  societies,"  and  to  elect  church 
wardens  and  vestrymen.  Thereupon 
it  was  resolved  thHf  this  church  be 
hereafter  known  and  distinguished  in 
the  law  by  the  nnrae  or  title  of  "The 
Rector,  Church  Wardens  nnd  Vestry- 
men of  Trinity  Church  of  Seneca  Falls." 

Rev.  Reuben  Hnbbard  was  then 
made  rector,  L,ewis  Bixby  and  John 
Isaacs  were  elected  wardens,  and  Gary 
V.  Sackett.  Anthony  Dey,  John  Mor- 
gan, Samuel  Payne,  Senter  M.  Gid- 
dings,  George  E   Freeman,  Stephen  B. 


Gay  and  Chauncey  F.  Marshall,  vestry- 
men. A  certificate  of  iucorpwration 
signed  by  the  Rev.  Reuben  Hubbard, 
Abuer  N.  Beardsley  and  Stephen  S. 
Viele  Wtts  then  drawn  up  and  on  the 
11th  of  February  duly  acknowledged 
before  Luther  F,  Stevens,  "P'lrst  judge 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  ttie 
County  of  Seneca,"  and  recorded  in 
the  Seneca  County  clerk's  office  on  the 
25th  day  of  March,  1831. 

From  this  time  services  were  regu- 
larly held  by  the  Rev.  Mr  Hubbard  in 
"Bixoy's  school  room"  in  Hill  and 
P«ck's  building,  (Bixby's  school  room 
was  in  the  uj)per  story  of  the  frame 
building  now  standing  on  Cayuga 
street,  two  doors  above  Globe  hotel, 
now  the  Stanton  House  ) 

On  the  7th  day  of  August,  1831,  Rt. 
Rev.  Benjamin  T.  Onderdonk,  D.  D., 
Bishcp  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York, 
visited  the  parish  and  administered  the 
rite  of  contirmation,  the  services  upon 
that  occasion  being  held  in  the  Baptist 
church. 

At  the  Easter  election  in  1832,  Senter 
M.  Giddiugs  was  elected  warden  in 
place  of  John  Isaacs;  and  Anthony 
Dey,  Gary  V.  Sackett,  Stephen  B.  Gay. 
J.  M  Woodward,  John  Isaacs,  SHuiuel 
Pfiyne,  (ieorge  Arnold  and  Abram  Bart- 
lett,  vestrymen.  The  Rev.  Reuben 
Hubbard  resigned  and  was  succeeded 
by  the  Rev.  Seth  Davis. 

On  the  26th  of  December,  J.  M, 
Woodward,  AnthoTiy  Dey  and  Samuel 
Payne  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
"draw  up  a  suoscription  for  the  pur- 
pose of  building  a  n^w  church  in  Sen 
eca  Falls,"  and  in  January  1833  a  lot 
was  purchased  of  Ansel  Bascom  for 
$500,  one  half  the  amount  being  paid 
in  money  and  the  balance  in  "church 
scrip." 


28 


i  ^ 


Trinity   Church   as  erected  in   iSjj  -and  enlarged   in   i8s(). 


Two  weeks  later  a  building  commit- 
tee was  appointed  and  it  was  decided 
to  build  a  church  of  stone,  but  the 
vestry  afterwards  voted  to  build  the 
basement  of  stone  and  the  super- 
strncture  of  wood,  the  "plan  of  the 
church  at  Geddesburg"  being  adopted 
for  the  edifice. 

In  July  of  this  year  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Davis  was  suoceedpd  by  the  Rev.  Jesse 
Pound;    the  work  of  building  was  act- 


ively  commenced,  and  on  the  18th  day 
of  November,  1833,  the  corner  stone 
was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies 
by  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Rudd,  D.  D.,  of 
Auburn;  Rev.  Jesse  Pound  being 
rector;  Lewis  Bixbv  and  John  Isaacs, 
wardens;  Anthony  Dey,  Senter  M.  Gid- 
dings,  Abrain  Bartlett,  Moses  L.  Dem- 
niing,  S.  L.  H.  VVard,  Elijah  Webster, 
Chancey  Marshall  and  George  Arnold, 
vebtrymen;  Anthony  Dey,  Abram  Bart- 


29 

lett,  John  Isaacs   and    Jnmes  Shethar, 
building  committee. 

From  December,  ISo.'),  up  to  the 
time  of  the  completion  of  the  church 
edifl'e,  services  were  held  in  ''the 
large  room  over  the  I'osloHiicc."  in 
in  the  buildins;  now  staiuling  on  the  N. 
E.  corner  of  Bayard  and  Ovid  streets. 
On  Sunday,  July  '27ih,  1834,  the  nnw 
church  WHS  opened  for  divine  service, 
and  on  the  morning  of  Sept.  10th,  it 
was  consecrated  by  Bishop  ()i)derdo»k, 
assisted  by  the  Rev.  Jfs=e  I'onnd,  the 
Rev.  William  i^ucas,  of  Auburn  and 
the  Rev.  liichard  S.  Mason,  D.  D.,  of 
Geneva.  In  the  evening  a  class  of 
fifteen  persons  was  cnntirmed  by  the 
Bishop. 

The  Rev  Mr.  Pound  resigned  in 
April.  1835,  and  was  succeeded  hy  ihe 
Rev.  Robert  Campbell,  who  officiated 
as  missionnry  until  October  1S3G,  and 
was  followed  bv  the  Rev  Henry  Tnl- 
lidge,  who  also  officiated  at  Montezuma 
during  a  portion  of  the  year  1838. 
With  Anthony  Day,  (iary  V.  Sackett. 
Samuel  Dey,  Stephen  S.  Vieie  and 
James  S.  Shethar,  as  lay  delegates,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  TuUidge  represented  •this 
parish  in  the  primarv  convention  of  the 
Diocese  of  Western  New  York  on  Nov. 
1st,  1838, at  Geneva  and  elected  the  Rev. 
William  H.  DeLancy  first  Bishop  of 
the  new  Diocese. 

The  Rev.  Charles  G  Acly  com- 
menced his  labors  in  Jun^',  1839, 
and  became  rector  of  the  parish  in 
April,  1840.  During  the  following 
year,  Anthony  Diy  resigned  the  <  ffiise 
of  warden  and  Dexter  E.  Bloomer 
was  elected  in  his  place.  During  the 
same  yeir,  Josiah  T.  Miller  became  a 
vestryman,  and  held  the  office  continu- 
ously up  to  the  time  of  his  removal  to 
the  neighboring  parish  of  Waterloo,  in 
1883. 

The  Rev.  Benjamin  Franklin  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Acly  in  August,  1844.  but 
resigned  on  account  of  ill  health  in 
July,  1845. 

In  1844,  John  Fitch,  who  had  been  a 
member  of  the  vestry  since  1835,  was 
made  warden,  and  retained  the  office 
until  his  departure  for  the  West  in 
1884. 


The  Late   Rev.  Dr.  John  Marshall  Guion,S.T.  D 


The  Rev.  Rnfus  Murray  became 
rector  in  May,  184G,  but  resigned  in 
August,  1849,  and  was  succeeded  by 
the  Rev.  Malcolm  Douglass,  who  offi 
ciated  until  June,  1851,  and  then  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  Rectorship  of 
Christ  Church.  Albion.  His  resignation 
was  received  with  regret,  and  a  series 
of  rtsolntious  expressive  of  his  many 
private  and  socml  virtue*,  and  the 
ability  and  lideity  with  which  he  had 
di^ctiarged  his  mmisteriHl  duties,  was 
passed  by  the  vestty,  and  published  at 
the  time  in  the  "Gospel    Messenger." 

The  Rev.  Charles  Woodward  became 
rector  in  Dt^cember,  1851,  and  dis- 
charsi^d  the  duti^^s  devolving  upon  him 
w'i'h  marked  ability  and  zeal.     In  May, 

1854,  a  new  bell  wms  p'acfd  in  the 
tower  of  the  church  and  some  needed 
changes  and  improvements  were  made. 

Mr.    Woodward    resigned    in    April, 

1855,  and  in  May  following,  the  Rev. 
John  M.  Guion  was  called  to  the  rector- 


30 


ship  of  the  parish,  which  now  had  be- 
come self  sustaining  and  no  lontjer  re- 
ceived the  missionary  stipend  heretofore 
allowed.  During  the  followiug  year, 
a  new  organ  and  font  were  purchased 
and  placed  in  the  church. 

It  doon  became  evident  that  the 
capacity  of  the  church  edfiice  was  in- 
adequate to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  steadily  increasing  congregation, 
and  in  May,  1859,  the  vestry  resolved 
to  maleriallv  enlnrgc  and  otherwise  im- 
prove the  building  The  proponed 
change  was  cinsummnted  during  the 
same  year  at  an  expense  of  about 
$2,000;  a  recess  chaneel,  vestry  and 
organ  chamber  being  added  and  the 
seating  capacity  of  thechurcli  increased 
by  the  addition  of  more  than  thirty 
pews.  At  the  same  time  a  stained 
glass  window  was  placed  in  the  chancel. 

When  in  the  early  days  of  IStjl, 
there  rang  through  the  land  a  call  for 
volunteers  to  defend  and  maintain  the 
integrity  of  the  Union,  the  sons  of 
ever  loyal  Trinity  were  among  the 
first  to  respond.  Three  full  compmies 
were  speedily  enrolled  in  iseneca  Falls, 
and,  upon  the  eve  of  departure, 
by  special  invitation  the  command 
in  which  two  sons  of  the  Rector 
had  enlisted,  attended  service  at  the 
church  in  a  body.  The  writer  well 
remembers  the  thrilling  eftect  of  the 
scene,  as  the  earnest,  soldi»erly-looking 
company,  with  full  ranks  and  even 
tread,  fi'ed  slowly  into  the  sacred  edi- 
fice. Placmg  their  banner  upon  the 
s'eps  of  the  altar  they  reverently  bent 
the  knee  before  the  eternal  God  of  bat 
ties,  while  the  white-robed  priest  in- 
voked His  blessing  upon  them  and  upon 
their  flag.  The  address  which  followed 
was  peculiarly  impressive  and  was 
listened  to  with  marked  attention. 
Eyes  that  were  destined  in  a  few  short 
months  to  look  without  flinching 
straight  into  the  very  jiws  of  death, 
grew  moist  as  the  eloquent  and  fender 
utterances  of  the  inspired  speaker  fell 
from  his  lips.  Who  shall  say  that  in 
the  days  which  followed,  the  hearts  of 
that  historic  band  were  not  moved  to 
nobler  deeds  of  heroic  valor  by  the 
ever  recurring  memories  of  the  hour 
spent  in  old  Trinity. 


Meantime,  as  the  years  rolled  by? 
the  parish  continued  to  grow  and  pros- 
pfir,  and,  in  1863,  it  was  decided  to 
Bui  d  a  rectory  upon  a  lot  donated  for 
that  purpose  by  the  junior  warden,  Mr. 
Frederick  J.  Swaby.  The  project  was 
materially  aided  by  the  generosity  of 
Mrs.  Ruth  Mumford,  a  former  member 
of  the  parish,  who,  by  her  will,  be- 
queathed the  sum  of  two  thousand 
dollars  for  that  object.  The  balance 
of  the  required  sum  having  been  raised 
by  subscription,  the  work  of  building 
was  begun,  and  during  the  following 
year  the  present  substantial  and  com 
inodious  rectory  on  North  Cayuga 
street  was  completed. 

In  1867  occurred  the  death  of  Carlton 
W.  Seeley,  who,  since  1838,  had  been 
an  active  member  of  the  vestry,  and 
who,  since  the  organization  of  the 
parish,  in  1831,  had  been  constantly 
identified  with  its  best  interests. 

In  1868  the  first  convention  of  the 
new  Diocese  of  Central  New  York  was 
held  at  Utica,  Trinity  parish  being  rep- 
presented  by  Edward  Mynderse,  George 
M.  Guion  and  Lansing  S.  Hoskins  as 
delegates  from  the  vestry,  the  rector 
being  also  present  and  preaching  the 
convention  sermon. 

The  subject  of  mission  work  in  the 
parish  had  long  been  a  favorite  theme 
with  the  rec*or,  and  the  steadily  in- 
creasing population  in  the  northwestern 
portion  of  the  village — so  far  removed 
from  the  location  of  the  church  — 
seemed  to  offt^r  a  special  field  for  the 
work;  therefore,  in  1870,  the  rector, 
in  addiiion  to  his  other  duties,  com 
menced  holding  regular  Sunday  mission 
services  in  that  locality.  The  at- 
tendance upon  these  services — good 
from  the  start — mcreased  to  such  an 
extent  that,  in  1875,  it  was  proposed 
by  the  vestry  to  erect  a  mission  chapel, 
but,  owing  to  the  probability  of  a  new 
church  being  built  upon  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  the  project  was  abandoned, 
a'though  services  were  continued  by 
Dr.  Guion  and  his  successors  until  1879 
when  the  society  was  merged  into  the 
regular  congregation  of  Trinity,  many 
of  its  members  becoming  active  and 
influential  supporters  of  the  Church. 


31 


In  the  spring  of  1873  the  Rev.  War- 
ren C.  Hul)bar(1,  then  in  dencon's  or- 
ders, was,  by  requeft  of  the.  reotor, 
made  assistant,  and  by  his  earnest 
labors  in  the  parish  very  materially 
advanced  its  iateiests. 

Dunnij;  the  same  year  the  vestry  re- 
solved to  solicit  funds  tor  the  purpose 
of  building  a  new  cliurtsh,  but  afier 
something-  like  $14,0U0  had  been  prom- 
ised, the  attempt,  owiiii!;  to  the  extremt^ 
finanelal  depression  exi-itinjr  at  the 
time,  was  abantloned ;  and  as  no  sub- 
scription was  to  be  con^idereii  binding 
unid  $oO,OuO  had  been  pledged,  the 
the  matter  was  allowed  to  drop,  and 
the  old  church  edifice  somewliai  re- 
paired and  beatiiitied  continued  to  be 
used. 

In  1874  another  influential  member 
of  the  vesirv,  Mr.  (Jharles  B.  Keeler, 
who,  in  1867,  had  been  elected  to  till 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Mr. 
Seely,  was  called  to  his  hnal  account. 
Mr  Keeler  was  a  man  of  singular 
purity  of  character;  he  was  ever  active 
and  diligent  in  the  work  of  the  Church 
and  Sunday  School,  wise  in  council, 
faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty 
toward  God  and  his  fellowmeu,  and 
his  loss  was  sincerely  mourned  by  the 
Church  and  the  community  at  large. 

Two  years  later,  warned  by  failing 
health.  Dr.  Guioii  felt  compelled  to 
relinquish  the  rectorship,  and  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1870,  after  nearly  tifiy  years' 
service  in  the  ministry,  twenty  one  of 
which  had  been  spent  in  earnest,  faith 
ful  and  efficient  labor  in  this  parish — 
which  during  that  period  had  grown 
from  weakness  to  strength,  and  be- 
come one  of  the  most  important  in  the 
Diocese — he  tendered  his  resignation, 
to  take  eflect  May  1st.  At  a  subsequent 
meeting  of  the  vestry,  after  full  con 
sultation  witii  the  members  of  the 
parish,  it  was,  in  a  series  of  very  com- 
plimentary resolutions,  unanimously 
voted  "that  Dr.  Guion  be  declared 
Rector  Emeritus,  with  an  annual  salary 
of  four  hundred  dollars  and  tlie  full  use 
of  the  rectory  so  long  as  he  shall  re- 
main in  the  parish."  At  the  same  time 
an  invitation  was  extended  to  the  Rev, 
Warren  C.  Hubbard  to  become  rector, 
which  being  accepted,  the   new  rector 


en'ered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties 
May  1,  1876,  with  the  cordial  good 
will  anil  esieem  of  all. 

The  Rev.  Mr*  Hubbard  remained 
rector  of  the  pirish  until  February  1, 
1877,  at  which  time  he  tend'  red  his 
resignation  and  accepted  tlie  reiitorship 
of  St.  Paul's,  Brooklyn,  L.  1.  Mr. 
Hubbard  proved  himself  a  sound  and 
discreet  ehurchman  and  an  able  minis- 
ter. Under  his  administration,  the 
Church,  the  Sunday  School,  and  the 
various  charitable  organizations  of  the 
parish  were  aiitive  and  prosperous,  and 
rapidly  gain*  cl  stiength  and  importance. 

TJie  death  of  Hon.  (ieorge  B.  Daniels, 
a  vestryman  of  twenty  two  years  stand- 
ing, and  one  of  the  most  iiiflaential 
citizens  of  Seneca  Falls,  occurred  in 
September,  1876.  Mr.  Daniels  was 
universally  known  as  a  man  of  genial 
temper  and  benevolent  disposition. 
His  kindness  of  he-irt  was  readily  eu- 
listed  in  behalf  of  the  poor  and  needy. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  public  spirit 
and  was  repeatediv  called  to  positions 
of  trust  by  the  suttrages  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 

At  Easier,  April  1,  1877,  the  Rev. 
C.  McUvaine  Nicholson  became  reotor. 
During  the  preceding  two  months,  the 
parish  being  without  a  rector,  the  Rev. 
W.  D'Orville  Doty,  of  St.  Paul's,  Wat- 
erloo, in  addition  to  his  own  parish 
duties  not  only  held  weekly  services  in 
the  church,  but,  at  the  request  of  the 
vestry,  instructed  a  large  class  and 
prepared  it  for  Confirmation. 

The  Mission  School,  founded  in  1870, 
had  now  grown  to  such  proportions 
that  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  pro- 
vide it  with  more  ample  accommoda- 
tions; therefore,  in  May,  1878,  John- 
son's Hall  was  rented  and  regular 
services,  with  large  attendance,  were 
held  there  evei-v  Sunday. 

In  July,  1878,  the  liev.  Dr  Guion 
finished  his  earthly  labors  and  was 
called  to  his  heavenly  rest.  Of  his 
character  and  work  in  the  ministry  the 
writer  can  scarcely  be  expected  to 
speak.  The  record  of  Dr.  Guion'a  life 
is  deeply  graven  in  the  hearts  of  his 
parishioners,  while  his  many  virtues 
are  held  in  loving  remembrance  by  the 
entire  community.      The   spontaneous 


32 


tributes  to  his  memory  tendered  at  the 
time  of  his  death  bv  the  various 
churches,  not  only  of  his  own  but 
difiering  creeds,  as  we'l  as  by  civic 
orj^auizations  iu  this  and  other  locali- 
ties, together  with  the  euligies  of  the 
secular  and  reliijious  press,  prove  con- 
clusively that  he  was  loved  aud  re- 
spected by  all. 

Mr.  Nicholson  resigned  iu  August, 
1880,  and  removed  with  his  family  to 
Sod  us,  becoming  rector  of  the  church 
in  that  place.  He  afterward  accepted 
the  rectorship  of  the  Church  of  the 
Messiah,  at  Wood's  Holl,  Mass  ,  and 
died  there  in  1885. 

From  August  to  December  the  parish 
was  temporarily  in  charge  of  the  Rev. 
S.  W.  Strowger,  who  did  much  excel- 
lent work  in  the  church  and  faithfully 
discharged  the  duties  of  his  office  in 
a  manner  worthy  of  his  vigorous 
christian  character. 

In  August  of  this  year  the  death  of 
Mr.  Edwin  Bull  caused  another  vacancy 


in  the  vestry.  Although  Mr.  Bull  had 
been  a  vestryman  but  seven  years  he 
had  proved  himself  an  earnest  and 
active  member,  ever  ready  either  to 
carry  forward  any  project  that  would 
advance  the  interests  of  the  church  or 
to  aid  by  his  counsel  in  the  delibera- 
tions of  the  vestry. 

In  October,  1880,  the  Rev.  Robert 
G.  Quennell  was  called  to  the  rector- 
ship, and  in  December  following  en- 
tered upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties. 
Mr  Quennell  had  for  sometime  pre- 
vious been  rector  of  St  Paul's.  Consta- 
bleville,  and  St.  Mark's,  Port  Leyden, 
and  in  addition  to  his  duties  in  these 
parishes  had  maintained  regular  ser- 
vices in  Boonville  and  Forestport.  He 
found  in  his  new  parish  a  broad  field 
for  the  exercise  of  his  untiring  energy 
and  zeal,  and  at  once  applied  himself  to 
the  work  of  building  up  and  extending 
the  influence  of  the  Church.  He  was 
a  careful  and  scholarly  writer,  an  able 
speaker,  and  a  firm  believer  in  active, 


33 


persisted   work.     In    addition    to    his 
parucl)ial    duties    he    looked    after    the 
interest  of  the  Cliurch    at    the    Couuly 
a'ms  house,  holding    regular  nnd   fre- 
quent services  in  that  institution       His 
sermon  on  the  deatn  of  President  Gar- 
field, delivered  in    the  churcli  on  Sep- 
tember 20,  1881,  was  by  resolution  of 
the  vestry,  printed  in   pamphlet  form. 
The  year    1883   completed   the   first 
half  century  of    the  life  of   tlie  church 
in  this  place.     Fifty  yenrs  had  elapsed 
since    the    erection  of    the   old    church 
edifice,  and  liuie,   with    its    destroying 
hand,  nad  left  traces  of  decay  upon  the 
venerable  structure,   whose  walls — for 
so  many  jears  tiie  shelter  of  the  faith- 
ful   baud  of  worshipers   accustomed  to 
gather    there  — like    a    sturdy    oak    de 
spoiled  of  its  foliage,  now  stood  gaunt 
and    bare,     and    whose    interior,    once 
ample    in    its    accommr-dation    for    the 
existing      congregation,      seemed     ill- 
adapted  to   the    proper   observance  of 
divine  worship,  or  to  the  requirements 
of      a    large    and     influential     church 
organizHtiou  in  a  town  rapidly  growing 
in     population     and    importance.       An 
earr^est  edort  was  accordingly  mide  to 
arouse  the  long  dormant   desire  for  a 
new    church   edifice,  and    a    committee 
was  appointed  to  stcure  the  refusal  of 
a    saitiOle  lot,  but   as    none    could    be 
found  that  seemed  entirely  satisfactory 
to  all    parties,  the    eftbrt    appearetl    to 
meet  with    little    success,      tinallv,    in 
Novem*ier  of  that  year,  an  eligible  site 
was   purchased    by    Mrs.     George     M. 
Guion  for  .*5,000  and  presented  to  the 
vestry    on    ihe    condition     ihat    a    new 
church  should  be  erect^d  upon  it. 

This  gift — promptly  accepted  by  the 
vestry  —  was  followed  by  subscriptions, 
a  list  of  which  is  given  herewith,  and 
made  a  part  of  this  Jdstory.  to  wit: 

Mrs.  F.  P.  H  Fa'zinger,  $5  500; 
Mrs.  Marion  E.  Partri.ltre.  .$2,525; 
Mrs.  Laura  Hnbbell,  -82.050  ;  Linsing 
S.  Hoskins.  .$1,250;  Wm.  B.  Lithrop, 
$300;  Dr  Wm.  A.  Swaby,  .«;350; 
William  Langworthy,  8250 :  Cyrus 
Garnsey,  Miss  A.  S  Hoskins,  Miss 
Jane  C.  Keeler.  each  .8200;  Wilhtlmus 
Mvnderse.  Mrs,  Ann  Johnson,  Mrs. 
Geo.  M.  Guion,  Thomas  B.  Baird,  Mr. 


and  Mrs  J.  Marshall  Guion,  and  Philo 
C/Owing,  each  .$100;  Wni.  V.  Van 
Il'-nsselaer,  $75  ;  Mrs.  F.  E  Griswold, 
William  Parish,  Henry  Stowell,  Mrs. 
Z.  I).  Avery.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  Itandell, 
Miss  Adelaide  M.  (iuion,  Miss  Clara 
(Triswold,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarence  li. 
Williams,  Stephen  B.  Johnson,  P.  Van 
Klt-eck,  Miss  Blancho  Daniels,  Miss 
F^liZ'ibeth  D.  (Juion,  Jacob  Shoemaker, 
Miss  J.  Southwick,  Mrs.  C.  W.  I'illing- 
hast,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M  D.  Bellows, 
Frederick  J.  Swaby,  Chas.  Cowing, 
Oliver  S.  Latham,  George  P.  Ptogers, 
and  vieorge  M.  Guion,  each  $50; 
George  Shandley,  |35 ;  Miss  Belle 
Palmer  and  William  B.  Norcott,  each 
$30;  Miss  Mary  Fairchdd,  Jos.  Jaa. 
Swaby,  James  D  Pol  ard,  Miss  Olive 
Nichols,  William  B  Harper  Mrs  E. 
Xichnls,  Miss  M  A.  Steitz,  Frederick 
Teller,  and  Chas.  B.  Randolph,  each 
825;  Miss  Nora  Daniels,  Miss  Carrie 
Pomeroy  and  Mrs.  L.  S  Hoskins,  each 
820;  Stephen  D  Mickley,  Mrs  Min- 
erva  S.  Kline,  Mrs.  T.  A.  Jennings 
and  Michael  Brown  each  $15;  Miss 
Lucy  GHrnsey.  813  50;  L  J.Emery, 
$13;  James  Pi.  Hair.  Mrs.  James  H. 
Gould,  Dr.  L  B  Dawley,  D.  S.  Hub- 
hell,  Montgomery  VanHouten,  Thomas 
Ellerby,  Ralph  Somers,  Mrs.  John 
Monarchy,  Thos  H.  Sibbalds,  Mrs. 
Cornelia  Pomeroy,  Mrs.  C.  W  Bach- 
man,  R'chard  G.  Miller,  Mrs.  William 
(Jranger,  Mrs.  Ann  Rider,  Bronsnn  A. 
Wessell,  A.  S  Pollard,  Miss  Lsura 
CLurchi  1,  Peter  Van  Zanclt,  Daniel 
Havens  and  the  Misses  A.  B  and  H. 
B  H.Gnion,each$10;  LeRoy  P.  Guion, 
•87;  Miss  Be'le  Teller,  Mi>s  Augusta 
Martin,  George  D'lnarest,  Mrs.  William 
E.  Dennisnn,  Thoma^'  M  Durham, 
Miss  Jane  Ray,  Henry  Fegley,  Johna- 
than  Carr,  Miss  Alida  Hodge,  J.  Piatt 
Hubbell.  Mrs.  E  M-  Rumsey.  J.  C 
Payne,  James  Davis,  Geo  B  (iascnigue 
and  R.  Page,  each  $5;  John  VanDuyne 
and  Mrs.  C.  Simmons,  each  .$2. 

The  sum  of  $2,600,  which,  under 
the  careful  manasrement  of  Mrs.  W.  B. 
Lathrop,  treasurer,  had  b"en  accumu- 
lated by  the  ladies  of  the  "Church 
Building  Fund  Society,"  $250  also  re- 
ceived by    the    ladies    of   the  same  so" 


34 

ciety  and  since  paid    in    by    Miss  A.  S. 
Hoskins;  nearly  $150  in    tbe    hands  of 
Miss    J,    C.    Keeier,    treasurer   of  'St. 
John's  mission  fund."    and    something 
over    $1,000,    the   proceeds    of   a  fund 
started  at  an  early  aay   by  ladies  of  the 
parish  and  carefully  invested    by    their 
treasurer,    Mrs.  Mary   S.  Daniels,  w«s 
sodded  to  the  amount    already    pledged, 
while   generous  sums  were  at  various 
times  received  from  Easter   collections 
and  from    individual    members    of   the 
parish,  and  thus  within  a  comparative- 
ly short  space  of  time,    the    erection  of 
a    new    church    edifice,    at    no   distant 
day,  became  an  assured  fact. 

At  the  Easter  election  in  1884, 
Mr.  Frederick  J.  Swaby,  who  had 
been  a  member  of  the  vestry  since 
1852;  treasurer  of  the  parish  from 
1855  to  1875,  and  warden  smce  1856, 
faithfully  discharging  the  duties  of 
each  office,  asked  to  be  relieved  from 
the  cares  of  his  wardenship.  At  a 
subsequent  meeting  his  request  was 
acceeded  to  upon  condition  that  he 
should  still  x-emain  in  the  vestry,  and 
Mr.  Lansing  S.  Hoskins,  an  active  ves- 
tryman since  187  2,  was  unanimously 
elected  warden  in  his  place. 

Id  May,  1884,  Messrs.  Brown  &  Daw- 
son, architects,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,were  em- 
ployed to  prepare  plans  for  the  pro- 
posed new  church,  and  in  August  the 
plans  and  specifications  submitted  by 
them  were  finally  adopted  and  a 
"building  committee"  appointed, 
which  at  once  invited  proposals  from 
contractors  for  the  erection  of  the 
building.  The  contract  was  finally 
awarded  to  Mr.  William  Crabtree  of 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  immediate 
preparation  was  made  for  the  speedy 
commencement  of  the  work 

In  Aueust,  1884,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Quennell  was  called  to  the  rectorship 
of  Christ  church,  Binghamton,  and 
•  having  tendered  his  resignation  — which 
was  accepted  to  take  effect  September 
1st  — he  soon  afterwards  removed  with 
his  family  to  that  enlarged  field  of 
labor. 


Trinity  parish  being  thus  without  a 
recior  was  fortunate  in  being  able  to 
se>ure  temporarily  the  services  of  the 
Rev.  Franklin  VV.  Bartletl,  who  as 
"minister  in  charge"  offi^iHted  from 
September  1884,  to  July  1885,  care- 
fully and  discreetly  fulfilling  ttie  du- 
ties of  the  position  in  a  manner  highly 
appreciated  by  the  church  and  credit- 
able alike  to  his  scholarly  attainments 
and  earnest  efforts  in  the  cause  of  his 
sacred  calling. 

In  May,  1885.  Mr  Lansing  S  Hos- 
kins was  made  senior  warden;  Mr.  W. 
B.  Lathrop,  a  vestryman  since  1877, 
being  elected  junior  warden. 

During    the    same    month    the    R 'V. 
H.  M.  Dens'ow,  at  that  time  rector   of 
Trimly  church,  Rut'and,  Vt  .    was    in- 
vited to  <he    rectorship   of    this    parish 
and    soon    after    accepted    the    invita- 
tion.      Allhoua:li      Mr.     Denslow     was 
present    at    the    laying   of    the    corner 
stone  of    the    new    church,    he  did  not 
begin  his  rectorship  until  July  5,  1885. 
LTnder  his  wise  and  efficient  leadership 
the    parish    continued    its     prosperous 
growth.     By  strenuous  efforts  the  debt 
was  raised  and  the  church  was  conse- 
crated September  10,   1890,  by  the  Rt. 
Rev.  F.   D.  Huntington,  Bishop  of   the 
Diocese,  assisted  by  a  number  of  clergy- 
men, in  the  presence  of  a  large  congre- 
gation.     In    the    spring    of    1893,  Mr. 
Denslow    received    a    call    to    become 
chaplain  of  Kenyon  College,  Gambler, 
Ohio,  and  resigned  his  rectorship  June 
15th,  to  the  great  regret  of  his  parish- 
ioners  and  of  the  townspeople   gener- 
ally.    It  should  never  be  forgotten  that 
Mr.    Denslow    was    one    of    the    prime 
movers     in     the    organization    of    the 
Seneca     Falls    Lbrary    and    its    first 
president. 

The  R>^v  Wrn.  Bours  Clarke  became 
rector  September  15th,  1893,  Of  his 
rectorship  the  most  significant  fact  is 
that  it  is  th3  longest  but  one,  in  the 
hist'  ry  of  the  parish,  being  exceeded 
only  by  that  of  Dr   truion. 


Early    Incitastrie^s 


By  H.  CHAMBERLAIN 


The  frontier  home  stood  in  sharp, 
bold  contrast.  In  many  respects, 
it  was  the  t^-pe  of  days  before  the 
modern  arts  of  life  had  appeared.  The 
means  and  appliances  were  simple 
and  crude,  making  the  household 
duties  difficult  and  laurdensome.  Yet 
it  was  from  this  home  life,  primitive  in 
form  and  strenuous  in  nature,  that 
out  of  the  constant  pressure  of  needs 
have  sprung,  as  by  the  touch  of  an 
Aladdin's  lamp,  great  forces  of  inven- 
tion and  skill  as  its  quick  and  will- 
ing servants.  The  tedious  method  of 
preparing  with  the  mortar  and  pestle 
wheat  and  corn  for  food  projected  the 
flouring  mill  with  its  revolving  upper 
stones  and  separating  reels,  utilizing 
the  streams  of  water,  with  the  first 
made  wooden  wheel  for  power.  The 
fire-place,  such  as  was  comuionl}-  in 
use  fifty  and  sevent3'-five  years  ago, 
so  large  that  great  logs  could  be  placed 
on  the  andirons,  serving  the  double 
purpose  of  cooking  and  heating,  has 
given  way  to  the  less  social  and  cheery 
but  the  more  economical,  easily  ad- 
justed stove  and  range.  The  spin- 
ning wheel,  appropriating  a  corner  of 
the  room  as  though  its  rights  were 
indisputable,  breaking  out  into  song 
during  the  day  and  evening;  the 
washed  wool,  white  or  colored  with 
vegetable  dyes,  its  fibres  brushed  out 
into  long,  thin  rolls,  ready  to  be 
caught  up  b}^  the  whirling  spindle 
and  drawn  into  yarn;  the  frame,  upon 
which  the  yarn  could  be  suspended, 
as  the  threads  passed  over  to  the 
gathering  roller,  operated  by  a  foot- 
lever  that  shifted  up  and  down  the 
warp  and  permitted  the  weaver  to 
cast  between  the  .sheds  the  ball  of 
filling  yarn;  the  process  of  finishing, 
little  more  than  cleansing   and  press- 


ing; all  these  were  the  simple  and 
homely  methods  out  of  which  has 
evolved  the  woolen  mill  with  its  mar- 
velous machiner}'  and  results.  Yet  a 
good  word  for  home-made  cloth!  It 
was  genuine,  out  of  clean,  unadulter- 
ated stock,  no  taint  of  trust  or  graft 
about  it.  What  it  lacked  in  color  and 
pattern  effect,  it  made  up  largely  for 
in  strength  and  service,  and  to  day  is 
often  called  for.  Confining  ourselves 
for  the  moment  to  the  needs  of  cloth- 
making,  the  home  process  was  most 
deficient  in  drawing  out  the  wool  fi- 
bres into  roping  for  even  yarn,  and  in 
felting,  to  make  the  cloth  compact 
and   firm. 

And  it  was  at  an  early  day,  to  sup- 
ply these  better  facilities  that  Col. 
Mynderse  erected  at  the  foot  of  Fall 
street  a  fulling  and  dressing  mill  in 
1806.  After  its  erection  and  equip- 
ment, it  was  leased  to  Jacob  and  Lewis 
Sherill,  who  came  here  from  New 
Hartford,  N.  Y.  They  were  mill  men, 
and  realized  at  once  that  the  equip- 
ment was  insufllcient  in  not  provid- 
ing carding  facilities  Their  experi- 
ence east,  and  what  they  at  once 
learned  here  was  that  the  people 
wanted  above  all  else  a  place  where 
they  could  get  their  wool  properly 
carded,  .so  that  they  could  spin  it  into 
yarn  for  clothing  and  stockings. 
Clothing  and  stockings!  They  were 
of  prime  need  in  this  climate.  The 
sharp  frosts  and  raw  winds  pierced 
to  the  quick,  and  keen  was  the  satis 
faction  in  finding^  means  to  di.sarm 
the  rigors  of  the  cold  season.  And 
what  a  sense  of  warmth  and  delight 
the  old  woolen  stocking  recalls! 
What  a  picture  it  invokes!  A  cheery, 
bright  old  home  picture,  the  wife  and 
the  daughters  sitting  around  the  blaz- 


36 


ing  fire-place,  their  fingers  deftly  and 
swiftly  plying  the  hickory  or  bone 
needles,  the  boys  tending  the  fire  or 
bringing  in  some  apples  or  cider, 
while  the  father  would  tell  of  the  day 's 
doings  on  the  farm  or  read  from  some 
book  taken  irom  the  scanty  library. 
The  scene  was  a  mixture  of  work,  of 
storv-telling,  of  incidents  and  confi- 
dences that  made  the  evening  gather- 
ing the  most  delightful  of  the  day. 
Work  was  not  a  task  but  a  real  pleas- 
ure and  the  good  wfe,  who  looked 
after  the  material  to  supply  and  keep 
us  busy  in  the  evenings,  would  oiten 
remind  her  husband  that  be  must  take 
some  wool  to  the  carding  mill  as  the 
rolls  and  yarns  were  nearly  exhausttd. 
The  Sherills  appreciated  this  call, 
and  at  their  expense  put  in  a  set  of 
cards  at  a  cost  of  5^900.  Not  willing 
to  incur  this  outlay,  yet  in  part  real- 
izing the  advantage  it  might  be  to 
the  business.  Col.  Mynderse  asked 
and  was  given  the  privilege  of  buy- 
ing the  set  of  cards  during  or  at  the 
expiration  of  the  lease.  The  privilege 
was  improved  and  thereafter  the  set 
of  cards  became  a  part  of  the  mill 
equipment  The  mill  was  then  rented 
to  William  Bruce  at  $200  a  year.  Mr. 
Bruce  came  from  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  a 
man  oi  considerable  ability  and  influ- 
ence, who  operated  the  mill  for  three 
years.  In  1814  Harris  Usher,  the  an- 
cestor of  many  of  that  name,  notably 
connected  with  our  village  history, 
became  the  proprietor.  Ansel  Fitch 
succeeded;  then  Henry  and  Ebenezer 
Ingalls.  Henry  Ingalls  died  in  1820, 
but  the  business  was  carried  on  by 
Ebenezer  Ingalls  and  Franklin  Long. 
After  the  dissolution  of  the  Bayard 
company,  the  property  came  to  the 
Deys,  by  whom  it  was  operated  for 
some  time.  In  1838  it  w?as  run  by 
W.  J.  Woodworth  of  Tyre,  N.  Y., 
who  shortly  after  transferred  it  to 
Smith  &  Son.  In  1848  it  was  enlarged 
by  adding  machinery  for  weaving 
cloth.  The  incentive  to  this  was  the 
success  attending  the  Seneca  Woolen 
Mills,  organized  in  1844.  The  ven- 
ture, however,  was  not  altogether  pro- 
fitable, for  the  reason  that  the  new 
looms  added  to  their  other  machinerv 


did  not  give  them  a  plant  equal  in  re- 
sults and  economy  to  their  competi- 
tor, and  hence  the  mill  fell  gradually 
back  to  its  original  line  of  work.  In 
1850  William  Branian  purchased  the 
propert}'^  and  ran  it  as  a  carding  and 
fulling  mill  down  to  1875.  It  was 
then  bought  by  James  F.  Dalrymple, 
who  replaced  the  old  building  with  a 
brick  structure,  which  was  operated 
till  very  recently  for  a  malt  house. 
Another  fulling  mill  is  mentioned  in 
our  records,  as  having  been  operated 
in  1834,  in  Water  street  b}^  Watson  & 
Terrill. 

In  connection  with  this  first  fulling 
mill,  probabl}'  at  the  time  it  was 
operated  by  William  Bruce  of  Au- 
burn, N.  Y. .  an  incident  of  historical 
importance  may  be  noted.  A  j'oung 
man  came  here  and  took  a  position  in 
the  mill.  His  parents  living  at  Sum- 
mit Hill,  Cayuga  county,  were  anx 
ious  that  he  should  learn  a  trade  and 
urged  him  to  take  up  that  of  a  clothier 
or  cloth-dresser.  Though  of  a  taste 
that  inclined  him  to  a  literary  and 
intellectual  career,  of  which  few  open- 
ings at  the  time  offered  him,  and  feel- 
ing the  need  of  .some  fairly  compen- 
sating employment,  the  young  man 
fell  in  with  the  view  of  his  parents. 
The  biographies  all  agree  that  when 
quite  young  he  left  home,  crossed 
westward  over  Cayuga  Lake  bridge 
and  entered  a  fulling  mill  under  arti- 
cles of  apprenticeship  that  bound  h'm 
till  he  reached  his  majority.  We  have 
strong  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  at 
the  Mynderse  fulling  mill  where  this 
young  man  commenced  his  career, 
where  making  the  best  of  the  means 
at  hand,  he  devoted  his  efforts  to  the 
duties  of  a  fuller,  so  efficiently  as  to 
win  the  good  will  and  praise  ot  those 
about  him.  Col.  Mynderse,  calling 
him  by  name,  remarked  to  a  friend 
that  he  was  a  young  man  of  great 
skill  and  proficiency,  with  a  fine  busi- 
ness future  before  him,  but  was  being 
drawn  aside  by  his  love  for  books  to  a 
professional  life.  This  was  true. 
There  was  in  the  young  man  a  higher 
ambition,  a  call  to  a  work  that  would 
give  a  fuller  play  to  his  powers. 
When  19  years  old  he  secured  a  dis- 


37 


charge  from  his  apprenticeship  by  paj'- 
ing  the  sum  of  thirty  dollars,  when 
he  entered  the  law  ofiflce  of  Judge 
Walter  Wood  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  a 
friend  of  the  family,  where  for  a  time 
he  pursued  the  study  of  the  law,  soon 
after  removing  to  the  city  of  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  soon  won  a  leading 
rank  at  the  bar,  becoming  later  on  a 
prominent  politician  in  the  state  and 
nation,  and  in  1S50,  on  the  death  of 
Zachary  Taylor,  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  The  young  man  was 
Millard  Fillmore. 

To  the  carding  and  fulling  mill  suc- 
ceeded another  evolution  in  an  indu.s- 
trial  form,  quite  as  important.  The 
clothing,  heavy  and  firm,  protected 
the  bod}^  the  stockings  resisted  the 
cold,  but  these  could  not  be  worn 
alone.  Something  must  go  with  them. 
True,  in  those  days  tine  conventional 
notions  were  not  so  much  in  vogue, 
the  Mrs.  Partingtons  and  the  Grundys 
were  not  so  plentiful,  and  one  could 
safely  venture  to  divest  himself  of 
some  of  his  apparel  on  warm'  days 
without  the  fear  of  encountering  up- 
turned eyes  of  surprise  and  reproof. 
Comfort  had  decidedly  the  better  of 
fashion,  and  the  boys  and  girls  liked 
nothing  so  well  as  to  romp  about  in 
bare  feet — but  of  course  this  habit 
could  not  be  indulged  in  in  coid 
weather.  Then  boots  and  shoes  were 
a  necessity.  The  imported  article 
could  be  had  at  the  store,  but  the  cost 
was  a  very  serious  matter  to  the 
man\'and  prompted  many  expedients, 
many  eflForts  to  solve  the  problem  in 
the  home.  And  resolved  it  was.  The 
youthful  genius  was  there,  ready  10 
break  a  colt  or  tackle  a  proposition  in 
Euclid.  He  seized  the  cast-aside 
pelts  and  hides,  cleansed  and  curried 
'  them  and  then  stretched  them  up  to 
cure  and  dry.  With  his  sharp  jack- 
knife,  awl  and  waxed  cotton  threads 
tipped  with  a  bristle  point,  he  set  to 
work,  at  first  to  get  his  hand  in  a 
little  practice,  in  rejuvenating  the  old 
worn  and  dilapidated  shoes,  and  then 
taking  up  original  work,  blossoming 
out  at  length  into  an  expert  shoe- 
maker. He  was  not  a  rarity— not  at 
all— you  often  found  him  in  the  home, 


one  of  the  boys,  of  an  ingenious,  con 
structive  rather  than  of  a  soil  tilling 
turn  of  mind.  Observant,  he  could 
tell  you  of  every  kind  of  footwear  in 
use  from  the  stogies  up  to  the  delicate 
slipper.  His  fancy  was  afiame  with 
"swell  pumps  and  elegant  shoes," 
but  how  could  he  realize  his  dreams 
without  leather  tanned  in  its  soft  and 
russet  shades,  in  its  dyed  colors  and 
enamelled  and  polished  surface?  His 
desire,  prompted  by  love  of  his  art, 
brought  him  the  comfort,  however,  of 
seeing  reflected  in  the  minds  of  others 
just  what  he  felt,  and  of  creating  a 
public  sentiment  for  some  systematic 
method  to  convert  the  raw  hides  and 
pelts  into  fine  and  serviceable  leather. 
The  tannery  came,  as  most  things 
do  when  they  are  really  called  for.  In 
181 5  Jenks  Jenkins  erected  one  on  the 
lot  now  occupied  by  the  Gould  Mfg. 
Co.,  soon,  however,  succeeded  by  An- 
drew P.  Tillman,  who  enlarged  the 
business  and  became  a  considerable 
dealer  in  leather.  A  small  right  of 
drawing  water  from  the  level  above 
was  purchased  of  the  Bayard  Com- 
pany. Indeed,  they  were  fortunate 
in  obtaining  this  privilege,  for  though 
we  had  a  great  many  of  these  privil- 
«  eges  in  our  midst  unused,  so  far  as 
the  buyer  was  concerned  the}-  were 
scarcer  than  diamonds.  The  amount 
of  water  secured  was  mighty  small, 
barely  enough  to  run  a  bark  reducing 
machine  and  fill  the  vats  with  water. 
The  process,  hovvever,  did  not  require  a 
greatSquantity  of  water, simply  enough 
to  fill  the  vats, in  which  the  hides  were 
immersed  until  they  became  soft  and 
pliable  Then  they  were  transferred 
to  other  vats  containing  a  solution  of 
lime,  the  action  of  which  was  to 
loosen  the  hair  so  that  it  could  be  re 
moved  without  injury  to  the  gela- 
tinous and  fibrous  properties  of  the 
hide.  After  this  preparation,  the  con- 
version to  leather  commenced.  The 
best  converter,  safer  than  any  acid, 
was  found  in  an  extract  from  oak  or 
hemlock  bark,  called  tannin,  which 
soon  with  a  little  modification  of  the 
word  came  to  designate  the  business. 
The  aim  of  the  manipulator  was  to 
fill   all  the   spaces  in   the  network  of 


38 


fibre,  opened  in  the  preparation,  with 
this  tannin,  often  making  the  weight 
of  the  leather  65%  greater  than  the 
dry  hide.  The  amount  of  gelatine  re- 
tained determined  the  class  of  leather. 
If  the  whole  were  retained,  it  made, 
when  carefully  dried  and  subjected  to 
great  pressure,  a  hard  and  firm  pro- 
duct, in  trade  known  as  -'sole  lea  h- 
er. "  if  a  part  of  the  gelatine  only  were 
retained,  the  product  was  softer  and 
more  yielding  and  was  rated  as  "up- 
per leather. "  The  only  object  in 
briefly  referring  to  the  process  is  to 
show  that,  though  great  skill  was  re- 
quired, all  the  elements  of  it,  cheap 
power,  hides,  lime  and  oak  bark, 
were  abundant  with  us,  and  hence, 
both  in  cost  and  quality,  an  article 
could  be  made  fully  equal  to  onr 
needs  and  to  the  demands  of  general 
trade.  The  business  was  carried  on 
successfully  for  years.  Mr.  Tillman 
came  here  from  Geneva,  N.  Y.  He 
was  active  and  public-spirited,  en- 
gaged also  in  lumbering,  and  in  many 
ways  by  his  counsel  and  material  aid 
contributed  to  the  growth  of  our  vil- 
lage. 

In  speaking  of  evolutions  out  of 
home  needs  into  higher  and  more  ef- 
fective methods  of  supply,  it  may  be 
well  to  mention  two  others,  which  as 
new  industries  appeared  in  our  early 
history.  As  we  have  seen,  a  want 
stimulates  an  effort  to  supply  it.  If 
large  enough,  capital  is  invested,  and 
the  article  is  furni.shed  at  a  less  cost 
and  of  a  higher  grade  than  is  possible 
in  the  old,  crude  way  No  article 
was  more  important  to  health  than 
that  which  would  keep  the  home  clean 
and  wholesome.  In  the  creed  of  our 
Puritan  and  Holland  ancestors  clean- 
liness was  next  to  godliness.  To  for- 
get the  first  was  quite  as  culpable  as 
to  lapse  in  faith.  Some  good  alkali 
or  soap  was  therefore  in  demand. 
The  home  made  was  out  of  boiling 
oils  and  fats  with  a  solution  of  caustic 
potash.  The  young  people  did  not 
take  to  this  right  cheerfully,  for  the 
gasses  evolved  were  not  such  as  to 
impart  to  the  olfactory  nerves  a  deli- 
cious sensation,  and  hence  by  the 
voice  of  the  majority  in  the  household 


this  duty  or  honor  was  given  to  th^ 
head  of  the  family,  until  soap  making 
became  an  established  business  with 
us.  One  or  two  factories  were  in  our 
midst  in  early  days,  followed  later 
by  large  concerns  in  the  country, 
manufacturing  a  great  variety  from 
the  common  up  to  the  choice  toilet 
soap. 

As  we  have  indicated  the  property 
essential  to  convert  the  oils  and  fats 
into  soap  was  caustic  potash.  This 
was  obtained  in  the  home  in  the  form 
of  a  lye  from  leeched  ashes.  The  ash- 
barrel  had  its  place  in  the  domestic 
economy.  In  the  yard  you  would  see 
the  barrel,  filled  with  ashes,  capped 
with  a  little  straw  or  hay,  supplied 
along  with  water,  standing  on  an  in- 
clining rest,  allowing  the  liquid  to 
flow  into  a  pail  underneath.  This 
was  a  fixture, —rather  it  was  a  charge 
committed  to  us  boys.  We  thought 
it  great  fun  to  give  it  a  drink  occas- 
ionally and  then  carry  the  lye  into 
the  store  room.  But, — my  opinion 
of  it  changed.  I  recall  the  incident 
that  turned  me  against  it.  One  dark 
night,  I  was  returning  home,  taking 
my  way  through  the  yard.  I  heard  a 
strange  sound  when  I  opened 
the  gate,  but  gave  at  the  moment  little 
heed  to  it.  Well,  when  I  got  inside, 
what  I  had  heard  before  was  not  a 
circumstance.  The    ash-barrel    or 

what  I  thought  might  be  the  ash- 
barrel  was  gyrating  through  the  air 
at  a  great  rate  and  thumping  the 
ground.  I  could  see  no  force  moving 
it,  and  at  the  moment  I  conld  have 
sworn  that  it  was  an  implement  of 
Satan  It  would  not  answer;  there  it 
was,  a  mystery  that  I  could  not 
fathom.  I  soon  concluded,  whether 
it  were  a  condition  or  a  theory,  the 
best  thing  for  me  was  to  get  indoors. 
Worried  over  it,  with  the  first  dawn 
of  day,  I  hurried  to  the  yard,  and 
there  found  the  staves  of  our  ash- 
barrel  strewn  about  and  our  black 
cow  with  two  hoops  around  her  neck. 
You  will  not  wonder  why  I  disliked 
it,  quite  as  much  as  we  did  the  soap 
kettle.  But  the  winter  of  discontent 
passed  with  the  organization  of  fact- 
ories that   furnished   these   supplies. 


39 


In  1815  there  was  an  ashery  near 
Chapman's  store  on  Fall  street  and 
one  by  Henry  Kellogg  on  the  lot  now 
used  by  Mr.  Yawger  as  a  coal  and 
lumber  yard.  A  more  extensive 
establishment  was  on  West  Fall  street 
operated  by  Thomas  B.  Sharp.  He 
was  of  English  descent,  coming  here 
by  boat  run  by  Thomas  and  Frank 
Carr,  in  about  1835.       The   article   of 


potash  made  by  him  stood  very  high 
in  the  market  for  its  purity  and 
strength.  Later  he  became  financially 
interested  with  his  sons  in  the  drug 
business,  under  the  name  of  'Thomas 
B.  Sharp  &  Sons',  which  has  stood 
for  over  fifty  years,  the  only  one  on 
our  business  street  ihat  in  the  time 
has  undergone  no  change. 


X]a.rl37"    Sa^lesxTZLeriL 


By  B.  F.  BEACH 


Fifty  5^ears  ago  commerical  drum- 
ming was  very  limited.  Nearly  all 
merchants  of  inland  towns  of  the  East- 
ern half  of  our  country  would  make 
periodical  visits  to  Boston,  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  to  purchase  their 
supplies.  Those  of  the  Western  half 
would  go  to  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati  and 
Chicago.  Before  railroads  became  so 
numerous,  goods  were  shipped  by  con- 
venient water  conveyance  or  overland 
by  wagon.  Hence  they  all  had  to 
order  in  larger  quantifies  than  since 
the  advent  of  the  commercial. sales- 
man or  drummer,  as  he  was  more 
commonly  called  in  those  days. 

Drummers  were  divided  into  two 
classes  as  to  territory — local  and  gen- 
eral— those  who  made  short  trips  and 
often,  and  those  who  made  long  trips 
and  further  apart.  Then  the}'  were  di 
vided  into  two  classes  as  to  mode  of 
selling,  namely:  By  catalogue  and  by 
samples.  I  followed  drumming  24  1-6 
years  by  catalogue.  I  frequently  met 
drummers  by  sample,  who  carried 
as  many  as  six  large  sample 
trunks  and  representing  as  many  dif- 
ferent lines  of  goods,  stopping  several 
days  in  a  city.  I  remember  one  drum- 
mer in  particular,  John  Paul  Jones  of 
New  York,  who  carried  six  large 
trunks  and  sold  for  as  many  different 
firms.  This  was  in  Texas.  We  could 
get  to  Austin  by  rail,  thence  to  San 
Antonio  by  stage  82  miles.  Jones 
would  send  his  trunks  over  by  wagon 
the  day  before.  We  would  take  an 
ambulance  (covered  carryall)  and  go 
over  together,  a  pretty  tedious  ride. 
San  Marcus  is  thirty  miles  south  of 
Austin.  We  met  an  old  darky  of 
whom  we  asked.  How  far  is  it  to 
San  Marcus  ?  He  scratched  his  head 
and  said.  It  am  a  right  smart  ways, 
Boss.  Jones  said  how  far  is  it,  two, 
four  or   six  miles?     He   answered,    I 


I  reckon  tis,  Boss  Their  idea  of  dis- 
tance is  so  limited  Drummers  with 
catalogue  only,  would  often  go  horse- 
back. Away  back  forty  years  ago 
many  of  them  were  sets  of  "Hail, 
fellows  well  met, "  and  when  night 
came  they  were  out  to  see  what  was 
to  be  seen  -  especially  the  younger 
class.  Slow  traveling  begot  a  slow 
way  of  doing  business.  This  refers 
to  that  far  western  country,  more 
particularly.  Railroads  were  being 
built  and  extended,  causing  an  influx 
of  gamblers  and  trick  men  at  every 
terminus.  I  remember  when  the 
Houston  and  S^n  Antonio  road  had 
gotten  within  30  miles  of  the  latter 
place— just  at  the  Colorado  river — we 
changed. from  the  cars  to  the  stage. 
Under  several  live  oak  trees  were 
tables  set,  and  piles  of  greenbacks  ly- 
ing in  plain  sight  and  dozens  of  men 
playing  for  these  piles.  It  was  so  al- 
luring that  once  in  a  while  a  drummer 
would  stop  ofFand  try  his  luck,  which 
was  always  bad  luck.  But  as  the 
years  went  by  facilities  for  traveling 
increased,  the  average  drummer 
changed.  Instead  of  playing  cards 
on  Sunday  in  his  hotel,  he  would  go 
to  church.  As  I  was  always  a  church 
goer,  I  often  invited  men  to  go  with 
me.  I  remember  one  instance  in  New 
Orleans,  I  asked  a  stianger  at  the  ho- 
tel to  go  with  me,  he  accepted  and  we 
both  enjoyed  the  services  New  Or- 
leans is  noted  for  the  poorest  drink- 
ing water  of  any  city  in  our  country. 
Rain  water  in  up  ground  cisterns  is 
always  full  of  wigglers,  so  as  we  were 
on  our  way  to  our  hotel  we  passed  a 
soda  fountain  I  asked  my  triend  if 
he  would  not  like  a  glass  of  soda?  He 
said,  No,  thank  you.  In  my  early 
days  of  traveling  I  got  to  drinking,  I 
concluded  to  quit  and  stay  quit,  but 
to  go  to   a  public   place  and   raise   a 


41 


glass  of  soda  to  my  lips  would  be  a 
temptation,  that  is  why  I  wish  to  be 
excused.  This  is  a  fast  age,  and  the 
modern  drummer  has  little  time  or 
inclina  ion  to  indulge  in  the  habits  of 
forty  years  ago,  and  they  have  to  be  a 
better  grade  and  must  understand 
their  business  thorough 'y,  to  be  ac- 
ceptable. 

To  be  personal,  I  spent    five  years 
in  the  pump  factory  to  learn  to  make 
the  goods  I  was  to  sell.     A  couple  of 
instances  will  illustrate  my  meaning. 
On  my  first    visit    to    Muncie,    Ind., 
thirty  years  ago,    I  induced    a   hard 
ware  man  to  buy  some  Cioulds  pitcher 
mouth  pumps.      He  used  one    on    his 
kitchen  sink  for  cistern.     Some  trip 
following,  he  invited  me  to  go  to  his 
house  and  examine  the    pump;    said 
he  put  a  new  valve  in,  and  it  wouldn't 
pump.       I  took  it    out    and    cut    out 
some  of  the  leather  he  left  in,   and  it 
went  oflFat  once.      I  practised  sending 
out  advance  cards  to  customers  that  I 
would  be  there  on  or  about  such  a  day, 
and  scarcely  ever  failed.      On  a  trip 
to  Austin,  Texas,  a  customer,   C.  W. 
White,  said  the  State  Fish  Commis- 
sioner would  call  at  lo  A.   M.   to  see 
me.  •  A    competitor's    drummer    from 
St.  Louis  had  been  there  the  week  be- 
fore.       This   commissioner  wanted  a 
powerpump.    My  competitor  couldn't 
tell  him  what  kind  of  a    pump  would 
do,  and    advised  ^writing  to  the    firm 
and  they  would  send  the  right  pump. 
The   commissioner     didn't    write  but 
waited  for  me.     We  went  over  to  the 
fish  pond.      There   was    a    flour   mill 
there,  the  water  wheel    of  which   was 
to  run    the    pump.     In    less    than    30 
minutes    I    had  the    pump    selected, 
measurements    taken    for    gear    and 
shafting  to  connect  and  that  night  I 
telegraphed    the    order   to  St.     Louis 
(Goulds  branch  house),  and  in  three 
days  the  pump  arrived  in  Austin  and 
was   put  up.     So  much  for  knowing 
your    business.  Drummers,      who 

make  long  and  extended  trips,  have 
hardships  mixed  with  pleasure.  I 
had  a  section  of  country  over  which 
I  took  in  only  large  cities.  On  those 
trips  I  would  work  all  day,  take  a 
train  night  and   ride   in  a  sleeper  all 


night  and  do  so  for  five  nights  in  suc- 
cession.    There  is  a   great  difierence 
between  the  Eastern  and  Western  or 
Southern  buyer.     Go  into  a  hardware 
store  in  New  Haven;  the  buyer  greets 
you  and  asks  at  once,    "Mr.  B.   what 
train  do  you  wish  to  leave  the  city  on? 
I  will  look  up  an  order   and    hand  it 
to  you    before    you    go. "       Time  is 
money  with  the   Eastern  man.      The 
Southern   or  Western    man    takes    it 
more  leisurely.     Call  on    a   customer 
in    New  Orleans,   he  will   say,  "How 
do  you  do,  sah?     Right  glad  to    see 
you.     Be  in  the  city  several   days,    I 
reckon.       Make    yourself    at     home. 
Have  you  au}'  writings  to  do?     Take 
that  desk  over  there;  plenty   of  paper 
in  the  drawer,  help    yourself."     Such 
is  the   difference   between  a   pushing 
and  a  slow-going  people.     Traveling 
men  have  many  trials    and  hardships 
to  go  through  in  their  traveling    life. 
For  instance,  during    the    24    years    I 
was  on  the  road  I    made   long   trips, 
getting  home  twice  a  year    onlj^ — ten 
months   of  each   year   on    the    road, 
averaging  20,000  miles  a  year;    indif- 
ferent hotels  to  encounter,  and    30  to 
40  years  ago,  very  rough  railroads  to 
go    over    and    sometimes    before    the 
road    was  finished.        I    instance  one 
case:     The    Southern     Pacific     road's 
terminus    was    at    vSherman,    Texas. 
They  were  grading  to  extend    to  Fort 
Worth,  30  miles   distant.       They  had 
to  reach  there  by    a   certain    date   in 
order  to  save  their  charter.     The  land 
between  the  two  cities  was  undulating 
prairie.         They  savi^    they  could  not 
reach  Fort  Worth  in    time  and  grade 
the  road  bed,  so  for  the  last  two  miles 
stringers  were  laid  on    the    ungraded 
ground,    rails  spiked  on,      and  I  was 
one  of  the  five  to  enter    Forth    Worth 
by   rail.     Well,  I    think  the    average 
traveling  man  of  to-day  is  much  sup- 
erior to  the  one  of  40  or  50  years  ago. 
His    morals   are   better,  his   business 
qualifications    every    way     superior. 
In  those  days  a  position  to  travel  was 
considered  a  sinecure;  to-day,  business 
is  the  most  prominent  consideration. 
That  most  of  the  -sales  in  our  country 
to-day  are  made  by  traveling    men    is 
the  opinion  of  the  wrtier. 


Banking  Houses  of  Seneea  Falls 


By  H.  CHAMBERLAIN. 


It  was  the  early  policy  of  the  State 
to  facilitate  the  business  and  com- 
merical  transactions  of  the  people  by 
establishing  banks.  The  grant  of 
these  charters  was  based  upon  the 
population  and  the  local  needs  there- 
of, and  hence  with  the  sparse  settle- 
ments in  middle  and  western  New 
York  the  first  form  of  the  title  of  these 
charters  was  after  that  of  the  county 
rather  than  of  any  town  or  village 
therein,  on  the  belief  that  such  county 
institutions  would  be  sufficient.  The 
first  bank  in  Seneca  county  was  char- 
tered March  12,  1833,  known  as  the 
Seneca  County  Bank,  located  at  Wat- 
erloo, N.  Y.,  with  John  DeMott,  Pres- 
ident, and  William  Moore,  cashier. 

Here,  however,  between  this  date 
and  the  first  settlement  of  our  place, 
was  a  period  of  over  thirty-five  years, 
when  no  facilities  of  exchange  were 
offered  under  any  authorized  system 
of  banking  in  the  county.  The  store 
of  the  Bayard  company  and  others  on 
the  street  had  to  aid  exchange  in  the 
best  way  they  could,  crude  and  incon- 
venient as  it  was.  The  fact  that  the 
main  products  marketed  came  to  the 
Bayard  company  made  their  agent, 
Col.  Mynderse,  in  a  real  sense  the  fi- 
nancial factor  of  the  place,  and  his 
store  the  ofiice  of  adjusting  balances. 
The  remittances  to  the  company  came 
from  their  Albany  correspondents, 
putting  the  company  in  funds  for  this 
purpose.  The  method,  nevertheless, 
was  attended  with  much  inconven- 
ience and  created  a  desire  in  the  com- 
munity for  some  better  system.  A 
movement  was  started  to  obtain  a 
bank  charter,  here  in  the  county,  to 
meet  the  urgent  wants  of  the  people, 
and  a  petition  was  sent  to  the  state 
legislature  signed  by  John  Maynard, 
A.  Gates,  John  Engles,  Josiah  Ferris, 


Charles  Silsby  and  others.  No  action 
it  seems  was  taken  on  the  petition. 
In  1 83 1  Judge  Gary  V.  Sackett  went 
to  Albany,  with  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion from  Chauncey  Marshall  to  our 
senator.  N  S.  Benton,  to  urge  upon 
the  legislature,  insomuch  as  we  had 
failed  to  obtain  an  original  county 
charter,  to  grant  to  the  Bank  of  Gen 
eva,  N.  Y.,  the  authority  to  establish 
a  branch  of  their  bank  either  at  Wat 
erloo  or  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y.  In  this 
request,  the  claim  of  the  county  to 
have  accorded  to  it  these  financial 
facilities  was  indisputable  and  would 
have  been  admitted,  if  the  question 
of  location  had  not  been  involved. 
In  the  letter  of  Chauncey  Marshall 
were  set  forth  the  reasons  why  the  lo- 
cation of  the  branch  bank  should  be 
at  Seneca  Falls.  The  village  had  a 
population  of  1500;  there  were  large 
flouring  mills  here,  one  of  10  or  12 
run.  of  stone,  calculated  to  manufact- 
ure 500  barrels  of  flour  per  day;  a  cot- 
ton factory  was  about  starting  that 
would  take  a  capital  of  $100,000;  here 
were  a  paper  mill,  a  distillery,  tan- 
nery, ash-factory,  furnace  and  four- 
or  five  saw  mills;  here  were  a  prints 
ing  office,  two  drug-stores,  a  hard- 
ware, two  dry-goods  stores  and  as 
many  groceries  as  were  conducive  to 
the  good  morals  of  the  place.  In  fact 
no  village  east  of  Buffalo  and  Roches- 
ter had  greater  promise  of  growth  in 
the  near  future,  due  to  its  rare  water- 
privileges  and  rich  adjacent  soils. 
The  friction  arising  from  the  choice 
of  location  defeated,  however,  any 
legislative  action,  and  two  j'ears  later, 
by  reason  of  greater  political  influ- 
ence, a  charter  was  granted  for  the 
establishment  of  a  Seneca  County 
Bank  at  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  March  12, 
1833. 


In  reverting  to  what  led  to  a  bank- 
ing institution  in  our  village,  we 
catch  up  the  first  threads  of  this  his- 
tory in  the  acts  of  Erastus  Partridge. 
Born  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  son  of  Asa 
Partridge,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  he 
moved  to  Cayuga,  N  Y.,  when  twen- 
ty three  years  old  or  in  1S21,  and  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business.  Keen 
in  his  perceptions  and  untiring  in 
energy,  he  soon  won  the  reputation 
of  an  able  merchant  and  financier. 
In  1824  he  established  a  store  in 
Mechanic's  Hall  with  William  A. 
Shaw  as  his  agent.  The  store  was 
very  small,  about  iS  feet  square,  the 
rent  of  which  was  $4  per  month.  In 
1837  Shaw  disposed  of  his  'interest, 
when  Mr.  Partridge  came  here,  en- 
larging the  store,  and  giving  his  per- 
sonal attention  to  the  business  In 
1848,  in  one  corner  of  the  store,  he 
opened  a  banking  and  exchange  office. 
In  1850  he  erected  a  new  building  a 
little  below  the  Ovid  street  corner,  to 
which  he  transferred  his  exchange 
business,  selling  out  his  mercantile 
interest  in  1864  to  Wm  B.  Lathrop. 
With  the  occupancy  of  the  new  build- 
ing, a  state  charter  was  obtained  for 
a  bank  of  $50,000  under  the  name  of 
the  Bank  of  Seneca  Falls,  with  Eras- 
tus Partridgp,  president,  and  LeRoy 
C.  Partridge,  cashier.  This  was  the 
first  duly  authorized  bank  in  our  vil- 
lage, continuing  down  as  an  individ- 
ual bank  till  the  introduction  of  the 
national  banking  system.  Here  for  a 
period  of  seventeen  years,  in  the 
small  corner  of  the  store  and  in  the 
new  and  better  appointed  ofiice,  the 
bank  was  most  supporting  to  our 
various  interests.  Conservative,  yet 
public  spirited,  Mr.  Partridge  was 
ready  to  help  any  enterprise  that  was 
founded  in  good  common  sense,  that 
was  business  like  and  backed  by  men 
whose  character  was  a  pledge  of  suc- 
cess, but  he  had  no  use  for  the  vision- 
ary schemes  of  promoters. 

In  1863  congress  passed  an  act  to 
provide  a  national  currency,  secured 
by  United  States  stocks  and  to  pro- 
vide for  the  circulation  and  redemp- 
tion thereof.  Advantage  was  taken 
of  this  act,  and  the  Bank  of  Seneca 


44 

Falls  was  merged  into  the  First  Na 
tional  Bank  of  Seneca  Falls,  with 
Erastus  Partridge,  president;  LeRoy 
C  Partridge,  vice-president,  and  De- 
Lancy  E.  Partridge,  cashier.  The 
capital  stock  was  $60,000,  with  the 
privilege  of  increa-ing  it.  The  wis- 
dom of  the  transfer  was  evident  in 
the  character  of  the  circulating  me- 
dium it  afforded  its  patrons,  of  a  par 
value  everywhere  and  so  different 
from  the  varying  values  of  state  issues. 
On  the  death  of  Erastus  Partridge  in 
January,  1873,  LeRoy  C.  Partridge 
became  president,  continuing  till  his 
death  in  January,  1875,  when 
Albert  Cook  was  elected  president 
and  DeLancy  E-  Partridge,  cashier. 
On  the  expiration  of  the  national 
charter  the  Partridge  Banking  House, 
a  private  bank  under  state  law,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  business,  with  Albert 
Cook  as  its  proprietor,  and  on  the 
death  of  Albert  Cook  in  October, 
1885,  the  business  was  continued  by 
his  widow,  Mrs.  Caroline  Cook,  under 
the  same  title  till  March,  1892,  when 
the  State  Bank  of  Seneca  Falls  was 
organized  with  W.  P.  Elwell,  presi- 
dent; W  C.  Morse,  vice  president, 
and  Thomas  W.  Pollard,  cashier. 
This  is  the  official  organization  of  the 
bank  to-day. 

The  soundness  of  the  Partridge 
bank  was  never  questioned  by  our 
people.  It  stood  above  all  doubt  dur- 
ing every  sharp  experience  through 
which  it  passed.  The  panic  of  '57 
was  severe,  the  money  .stringency  so 
great,  the  values  of  everything  so  un- 
certain, that  ever3'where  there  was  a 
feeling  of  distress  and  a  paralj'sis  of 
business.  The  wave  swept  over  us, 
curtailing  our  operations,  but  fortu- 
nately the  faith  of  our  people  was 
safely  anchored  in  our  bank,  whose 
ability  was  undoubted,  and  more, 
whose  willingness  was  shown  in  aid- 
ing our  people  to  weather  the  storm. 
The  crisis  passed  with  little  suffering, 
comparatively,  because,  sustaining 
us,  stood  our  bank,  firm  and  with  un- 
impaired credit. 

The  growth  of  our  village  furnish- 
ed a  splendid  opportunity  for  another 
bank,  and  in  1S65,  under  the  national 


45 


banking  act,  the  National  Exchange 
Bank  was  organized  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000.  Tlie  leading  men  back  of  it 
were  J.  B.  Johnson,  Milton  Hoag, 
Charles  h.  Hoskins,  J.  T  Miller, 
John  A.  Rnmsey  and  Henry  Hoster. 
The  place  of  business  was  the  old 
Sanderson  home,  removed  four  years 
later  and  a  fine  brown-stone  building 
erected  in  its  stead.  J.  B.  Johnson 
was  chosen  president,  and  served  in 
this  oflfice  during  its  charter  period  of 


paper  over  that  of  1863  the  advantage 
of  the  national  system  to  the  deposi- 
tors and  bill  holders  was  largely  lost, 
while  the  very  severe  provisions  of 
the  national  act  operated  to  deprive 
the  bank  from  pursuing  a  policy  that 
was  both  safe  and  more  profitable. 
However,  it  was  these  careful  safe- 
guards of  the  national  act  that  had 
inspired  ])ublic  confidence,  and  it  was 
with  a  feeling  of  regrei  that  our  peo- 
ple  saw   the  First  National  go  back 


twenty  years.  Charles  A.  Parsons 
was  the  cashier  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
and  was  then  succeeded  by  Norman 
H.  Becker,  who  also  continued  to 
hold  the  ofi&ce  of  cashier  during  its 
charter  period.  At  the  expiration  of 
the  charter,  there  was  a  disposition 
among  some  of  its  leading  men  to 
drop  the  national  franchise  and  orga- 
nize under  the  state  law.  The  First 
National  Bank  had  done  so,  and  it 
was  claimed  that  in  view  of  the  great- 
ly  improved   quality    of   circulating 


under  the  state  law.  When  the  mat- 
ter came  up  with  the  National  Ex- 
change there  was  a  general  opinion 
that  it  would  be  a  mistake  not  to  con- 
tinue as  a  national  institution.  The 
president  and  others  were  urged  to 
adopt  this  course,  but  in  the  action 
taken  by  the  directors  it  was  decided 
not  to  do  so,  rather  to  close  up  the 
aftairs  and  organize  as  a  state  bank.  It 
was  then  canvassed  what  it  was  best 
to  do.  The  real  estate,  fixtures 
and  good  will  had  to  be  sold  to  settle 


46 


with  the  stockholders.  It  was  decided 
in  a  conference  of  James  H.  Gould, 
Norman  H.  Becker  and  Harrison 
Chamberlain  that  the  property  be  bid- 
den off  and  the  bank  be  continued  as 
a  national  institution.  The  secret 
was  carefully  preserved,  and  when  the 
day  of  sale  arrived  there  was  little  in- 
dication at  the  start  of  the  warm  and 
heated  contest  soon  to  ensue.  The 
bidding  started  at  a  very  low  figure, 
working  up  to  the  price  fixed  at  the 
meeting  of  the  directors.  As  soon  as 
they  made  a  bid  thereafter  it  was  at 
once  raised  until  $20,050  had  been 
reached,  or  $5,050  above  their  limit, 
when  they  asked  for  a  recess  of  ten 
minutes  for  consultation  The}'  then 
raised  the  bid,  and  the  contest  went 
on  till  $25,000  had  been  offered.  They 
then  asked  for  a  second  recess,  and 
resumed  their  bids  until  the  sum  had 
gone  up  to  $30,000;  when  on  a  bid  of 
fifty  dollars  more  they  threw  up  the 
fight  and  the  propert}'  was  struck  off 
to  Harrison  Chamberlain,  the  ten  per 
cent  paid  to  bind  the  purchase,  and 
steps  at  once  taken  to  renew  the  na- 
tional charter.  At  the  large  bonus, 
there  was  not  a  doubt  of  the  wisdom 
of  the  purchase.  The  bank  was  well 
established  with  a  long  line  of  depos- 
its, with  a  good  will  and  business 
that  couid  not  have  been  created  with 
twice  the  premium  paid.  In  this  pro- 
ceeding there  was  not  the  least  per- 
sonal feeling,  but  simply  a  desire  to 
have  the  old  policy  pursued  under 
national  supervision.  After  the  pur- 
chase Mr.  Johnson,  Mr.  Hoag  and 
others  of  the  old  board  were  earnestly 
urged  to  join  in  the  new  organization,  . 
and  Messrs.  Hoag,  Miller,  Rumsey 
and  Hoster  did  so,  liberally  subscrib- 
ing to  stock.  The  title  was  the  Kx- 
change  Bank,  and  its  first  officers 
were  Harrison  Chamberlain,  presi- 
dent; James  H.  Gould,  vice  president, 
and  Norman  H.  Becker,  cashier. 
After  five  years  Mr.  Chamberlain  de- 
clined a  reelection  and  James  II  Gould 
was  chosen  president,  continuing  m 
the  office  up  to  his  death  December 
28,  1 886,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Milton  Hoag. 


The  death  of  Norman  H.  Becker  oc- 
curred in  March,  1900,  when  Ajah  R. 
Palmer  was  chosen  cashier,  in  which 
position  he  has  since  served.  The 
second  national  charter  expired  a 
little  over  a  year  ago  and  was  renewed 
for  the  third  time,  the  bank  now  en- 
tered into  the  forties  of  its  existence, 
with  the  following  officers:  Milton 
Hoag,  president;  S.  S.  Gould,  vice- 
president;  Ajah  R.  Palmer,  cashier; 
and  Charles  A.  Hawley,  attorney. 
The  bank  has  had  an  unbroken  ca- 
reer of  prosperity,  its  line  of  deposits 
has  rapidly  increased  till  it  amounts 
to  over  $500, 000, commanding  the  full 
confidence  of  the  public  for  the  sound 
business  principles  that  have  ever  in- 
formed its  management. 
.  Savings  banks  are  a  modern  and 
most  beneficent  form  of  banking. 
They  reach  out  and  take  in  the  masses 
with  their  daily  and  weekly  savings. 
The  first  in  England  has  the  compar- 
ativel)'  recent  date  of  1804.  The  first 
established  in  this  country  was  in 
New  York  in  18 19.  The  first  in  Al- 
bau}'  was  1S20;  in  Troy,  1823;  in 
Brooklyn,  1827;  in  Buffalo,  1836. 
We  have  one  institution  of  this  kind 
in  Seneca  count}',  the  Saving  Bank  of 
Seneca  Falls,  organized  and  com- 
mencing business  August  8,  1871, 
with  the  following  officers:  J. P.  Cham- 
berlain, president;  George  B.  Daniels, 
vice  president;  LeRoj^  C.  Partridge, 
secretary  and  treasurer;  James  D. 
Pollard,  bookkeeper;  P.  H.  Van 
Auken,  attorney.  Jacob  P.  Chamber- 
lain continued  president  up  to  his 
death  in  1878,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  Gilbert  Wilcoxen,  who  for  twenty- 
eight  5'ears  served  the  bank  in  this 
position,  rarely  in  all  this  time  fail- 
ing to  attend  the  monthly  meetings 
of  the  board.  The  first  location  was 
on  the  corner  of  Fall  and  State  streets,  j 
but  in  iSSS  the  business  was  removed  ! 
to  the  west  part  of  the  Partridge 
block,  where  a  fine  and  well  equipped 
office  had  been  arranged  for  them. 
In  1872  the  title  of  bookeeper  was 
changed  to  ca.^hier  and  Mr.  James  D. 
Pollard  held  the  office  for  many  years. 
In     1885    Harrison    Chamberlain    re- 


47 


signed  as  trustee  to  accept  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Exchange  National 
Bank.  The  first  recorded  depositor 
was  Edward  L.  Guion  and  the  first 
loan  was  made  to  Wienand  House- 
man. The  trustees  of  this  institution 
have  been  faithful  to  thtir  trust,  dis- 
I  charging  their  duties  conscientiously, 
meeting  with  firmness  and  courage 
every  situation  that  has    faced  them. 


ful  and  judicious  conduct  of  its  busi- 
ness. This  is  indicated  by  the  rapid 
increase  of  its  deposits,  now  amount- 
ing to  over  $594,000,  a  gain  in  the 
5'ear  of  1906  of  ;5;So,ooo.  Of  itself 
this  speaks  volumes,  in  the  confidence 
of  the  public,  in  the  appreciation  of 
the  great  many  who  find  here  at  hand 
a  safe  place  to  set  aside  a  part  of  their 
earnings,  not    only    feeling  that  it  is 


so  ably  that  they  have  not  only  pro- 
tected but  won  the  full  confidence  of 
their  patrons.  The  present  officers 
are  E-  VV.  Addison,  president;  Fred 
Maier,  vice-})resident;  Peter  Traut- 
man,  secretary  and  treasurer;  Miss 
M.  E.  Trautman,  asst.  sec'y  and 
treasurer;  Clarence  A.  MacDonald, 
attorney. 

Its  history  of  36  years  has  been  one 
ol  great  success,  merited  by  the  care- 


safe  but  bringing  to  them  some  return. 
Indeed  there  is  no  better  evidence  of 
the  prosperity  of  our  people  than  is 
to  be  seen  in  the  constantly  increas- 
ing savings  of  our  wage-earning 
people,  furnishing  them  the  oppor 
tunity  of  providing  for  the  future  and 
stimulating  habits  of  economy  and 
thrift.  May  the  bank  long  continue 
in  its  prospefous  and  beneficent 
work! 


John    R.   Co\A/inig 


John  Cowin.  great,  great  j^raiid 
father  of  John  P.  Cowinir,  carae  from 
Scotland  and  bought  «n  estate  in  Siit 
uate,  in  1656.  And  it  is  reconJed  of 
him  that  on  March  8,  1670-1,  he  ap- 
peared ''ht'\ug  bound  ounr  to  atiswer 
for  speaking  of  conlcnpfable  words 
aofainst  royal  authorities,  in  that  hee 
plionld  sav  that  hee  scorned  to  be  in 
8u''jection  to  any  English  Mnn  and  that 
tiiere  were  never  any  kinsrs  in  F]ng- 
land,  hut  one  crooked  backed  Richard, 
a  crooked  rogue,  Just  like  one  hee 
named,  a  crookpd  man  well  known  in 
the  town  of  Sci'ua'e.  *  *  »  It  was 
referred  until  the  June  court  next  and 
the  said  Cowin  to  be  kept  in  duran<'e 
vile  till  th^n." 

At  the  June  court   the  jury    brought 
him  in — not  guilty. 

In    1660    the    same    John  Cowin  for 
refusing  to  assist   the    marshall    in  the 


ext'cution  of  his    offloe    was    fined  10s. 
for  the  colony's  good. 

Thus  we  st-e  that  it  was  a  family 
having  the  courage  of  its  convictions. 
He  is  descended  in  two  line-*  from 
the  Ma\  flower  pilgrims — one  Henry 
SainpHoii;  the  other,  Thomas  Rogers, 
the  eightet'iith  signer  of  the  Mavfl  iwer 
con>pnct,  whose  desceiidaut  Anne  Rich- 
mond WHS  the  grandmother  of  the  sub- 
jei'i  of  our  sketch;  ihn  motto  of  whose 
liousH  was 'Resolve  Well  and  Perse- 
vere," winch  answered  well  for  an  in- 
S|jiration  to  John  P   (lowing. 

His  father,  James  Cowing,  born  May 
27,  1740,  died  >t  Seneca,  Ontnrio 
county,  1829,  was  a  soldier  in  th«  Rev- 
olutionary struggle  in  Capt.  Lieut. 
John  Doty's  2d  Company,  Co\.  Eben 
t  z  r  Sprout's  Rngiment. 

John  P.  Cowing  was  born  February 
25,  1807.  at  Seneca,  Ontario  county, 
and  w«s  the  youngest  of  twenty  one 
children.  He  was  married  on  January 
1,  1833,  to  Elizabeth  Malay,  who  was 
born  in  P^ast  Windsor.  Conn.  Their 
children  were:  Philo,  George,  Albert, 
Marshall,  Harriet,  Elizibe'h,  Florence, 
Janet  McKay  and  S)lon 

Mr.  Cowing  was  the  owner  of  a 
farm  in  Seneca,  five  miles  west  of 
Geneva,  and  from  1833  to  1838  he  ran  " 
a  htate  line  boa'  from  Albany  to  Buf- 
falo. He  carried  many  noted  people 
as  passengers,  atuoi'g  them  Mrs.  Sig- 
ourney  and  the  naturalist  Audubon, 
with  whom  he  formed  an  inliinite  ac- 
quaintance 

Coming  to  Seneca  Falls  in  1840.  he 
commenced  the  manufacture  of  zvooden 
PU'nps  ki'own  as  the  '-Jordan"  pumps, 
in  company  witli  Henry  Swymour  in 
the  -'Old  Clock  Factory"  which  stood 
upon  the  ground  where  Cowing  &  Co's 
centre  brick  building  is  located. 

In  1842  3.  the  first  pumps  s-nt  out 
from  SiMieca  Falls  were  sent  on  five 
wagons  under  the  charge  of   Archibald 


49 


Campbell,  John  A.  Ramsey,  one  Mr. 
Williams  and  two  o'.liers,  amid  the 
tenrs  of  their  families  because  of  the 
louo;  and  dangerous  journey ;  they 
went  down  Bayard  street  anil  over  the 
old  C«yuii;a  Lnke  bridf^e  and  on  to 
Jersey  City  ;  that  eity  was  their  liead- 
qnarters  from  where  they  went  out  in 
the  surrouiuiiug  country  to  sell  the 
pumps,  and  were  gone  six  months. 

In  1843  Cowing  &  Seymour  removed 
into  tne  buHdinii;  erected  by  Mr.  Sey- 
ni'iur  just  below  the  lower  bridge, 
since  known  as  the  *'()ld  lied  Siiop." 
They  continued  the  manufacture  of 
pumps  in  this  building  until  1847  when 
the  copartnership  was  dissolved — Mr. 
Seymour  remaining  in  the  "Red  Shop" 
until  1854,  when  he  retired  from  the 
business,  Maimfac^turing.  however, 
was  carried  on  there  until  tlie  building 
was  burned  down  in  1858 

It  has  been  said  that  Payne  &  Cald- 
well were  the  first  builders  of  pumps 
in  Seneca  Falls,  beginning  that  indus- 
try in  18o6  in  the  building  afterwards 
known  as  the  "Cultivator  Shop." 
They  had  legal  trouble  with  patents 
and  were  put  to  much  trouble  ami  un- 
usual expense  to  market  their  goods, 
and  in  consequence  discontinued  the 
business. 

At  the  dissolution  of  the  partner- 
ship of  John  P.  C'owing  and  Henry 
Seymour,  John  P.  Cowing  and  llenrv 
W.  Seymiur  in  1847  engnged  in  the 
manufacture  of  pumps  in  the  same 
building  where  Payne  &  Caldwell  had 
been  in  business.  They  had  in  their 
employ  at  this  time  some  five  or  six 
men.  and  "'took  oft'  a  heat"  from  two 
to  three  times  a  week,  as  circumstances 
required. 

Articles  of  agreement  were  entered 
into  on  January  1,  1849,  between  the 
firm  of  Cowing  &  Co.  of  the  first  part, 
and  John  W.  Wheeler,  second  part, 
for  the  manufacture  of  iro/i  pumps; 
this  business  being  entirely  separate 
from  the  business  of  Cowing  &  Co., 
carried  on  hi'hertn.  In  March.  1849, 
Mr.  Wheder  withdrew  from  the  fif-m, 
snd  in  April  of  that  year  their  fur- 
nace was  consumed  by  fire,  immediHte 
ly  rebuilt,  and  airain  burned  in  De- 
cember of  the  same  vear. 


John  A.  Ruinsey  became  a  partner 
in  the  firm  December  12,  1850.  and 
they  purchased  the  old  "Clock  Fac- 
tory." From  that  time  the  business  of 
the  firm  incu'cased  rapidly.  It  was 
here  thai  Cowing  &  Co.  manufactured 
the  first  fire  hand  engine  in  the  viliagt\ 
Tlie  sale  of  pumps  and  other  wares 
maunfaciured  by  the  company  in  the 
year  1851.  amounted  to  $20,000,  and 
this  was  increased  until  in  the  year 
1862,  they  found  ready  sale  for  goods 
to  the  amount  of  $200,000,  the  capital 
invested  being  abnut  ,$150,000. 

In  January,  1851,  their  furnace  was 
again  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  old 
"Cultivator  Shop"  was  also  burned  at 
ttiistime;  they  were  speedily  rebuilt  and 
manufacturing  proceeded  with.  In  the 
great  fire  of  January  28,  1853,  which 
destroyed  nearly  all  the  most  valuable 
buildings  on  Mill  street,  the  "Clock 
Factory"  building,  and  front  and  rear 
furnace  belonging  to  Cowing  <&  Co. 
were  consumed,  with  a  large  amount 
of  valuable  machinery. 

The  company  then  commenced  the 
erection  of  new  buildings  in  which 
they  afterward  conducted  a  very  large 
and  successful  business.  In  the  year 
(1853)  a  most  terrific  hurricane  or 
tornado,  swept  over  the  village,  un 
roitfing  bnihiings,  blowing  down  chim- 
neys and  trees,  destroying  a  large 
amount  of  property.  It  carried  a  good 
portion  of  the  roof  of  William  Arnett's 
Mid  across  th^  river  and  deposited  it 
on  the  upper  builling  of  Cowing  &  Co. 
doing  serious  damage. 

It  was  probably  in  1851,  that  Mr. 
Cowing,  the  pioneer  in  many  Seneca 
Falls  industries,  commenced  the  man- 
ufacture of  hand  engines  in  connection 
with  his  pump  business. 

In  the  Seneca  Courier,  Ju'y  8,  1852, 
recording  the  Fourth  of  July  celebra- 
tion, mention  is  made  of  a  'Juvenile 
Fire  Company,  composed  of  lads  from 
10  to  12  years  old,  handsomely  uni- 
formed and  benring  a  flag  with  the  fol- 
lowing inscription:  'Large  streams 
from  little  fountains  flow.'  Thev  had 
a  small  engine  from  Cowing  &  Co's 
Pump  factory  " 

In  thH  Sjientific  American  for  Octo- 
ber,  1854,  is  the  following: 


♦'Among  the  many  novelties  at  the 
State  Fair,  was  a  small,  well-made 
Fire  Engine,  which,  with  six  men 
power,  threw  a  fave-eighths  stream  of 
water  125  feet;  it  was  exhibited  by  the 
manufacturers,  Cowing  &  Co.,  Seneca 
Falls.  N.  Y. ,  for  which  they  were 
awarded  a  silver  medal." 

To  operate  this  engine  a  company  of 
six  to  ten  persons  and  a  few  citizens 
with  pails  to  supply  water,  were  need- 
ed. 

A  little  later  an  engine  was  made 
with  fittings  to  attach  suction  hose. 
The  running  gear  was  of  wrought  iron, 
neat,  light  and  strong.  It  would 
throw  about  one  barrel  of  water  per 
minute,  the  box  holding  two  barrels  of 
water.  It  was  easily  drawn  by  one 
man  on  level  ground. 

In  1853  the  firm  was  reorganized, 
Henry  W.  Seymour  retiring  from  the 
firm,  Mr.  Cowing's  two  sons,  Philo 
and  George,  becoming  members.  In 
that  year  they  purchased  the  site  of  the 
sash  factory  at  the  end  of  Mill  street, 
adjoining  their  other  buildings,  and 
erected  a  three-story  building,  in  which 
they  manufactured  tire  engines  of  all 
sizes.  Their  machines  were  unsur- 
passed in  their  workmanship  power 
and  effiisiency;  they  were  ii)tro(lueed  by 
the  company  into  various  cities  and 
villages,  and  were  said  to  be  equal,  if 
not  superior  to   any  hand  engine  made. 

As  to  Mr.  Cowing's  manner  of  doing 
business  the  following  statement  from 
the  mayor  ot  Columbus,  Tenn.,  is 
significant: 

•'In  consideration  of  its  (the  engine) 
proving  so  much  better  than  your 
representations  as  warranted,  it  aflfords 
us  much  pleasure  to  enclose  a  draft  to 
you  for  $450,  the  amount  as  per  your 
bill  rendered.'' 

Wherever  they  were  introduced 
they  were  popular,  both  for  their 
beauty  and  genuine  worth. 

For  one  machine  sent  to  Canada  dur 
ing  the  Civil  War  the  company  was 
paid  in  gold,  the  parity  being  290  to  1. 

They  also  manufactured  hose  carts, 
sonoe  of  them  very  elaborately  finished 
with  solid  silver  mountings,  p'ain  and 
colored  glass  lamp  with  name  and 
number  of  company  engraved  on  the 


50 

glass.     Hose    was   then   made   of   oak 
tanned  leather,  riveted. 

The  large  six-story  building  occupy- 
ing the  old  paper  mill  site  was  built  by 
John  P.  Cowing  in  1861.  The  build- 
ing was  designed  for  manufacturing 
purposes,  but  owing  to  the  depression 
of  business  it  was  not  supplied  with 
the  necessary  machinery  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

In  this  year  they  were  manufacturing 
a  boy's  fire  engine,  price  $12.5.  (A  let- 
ter from  Niagara  Falls  where  the  boys 
had  one  of  these  enjiines,  stated  that  it 
was  manned  by  thirty-three  young 
lads  from  twelve  to  eighteen,  making 
two  sets  of  sixteen  working  at  a  time; 
they  were  dressied  in  uniform  and  un- 
der control  of  an  older  person.  In  a 
parade  at  Lock  port,  they  carried  oft' 
the  palm  by  thf^ir  good  behavior,  manly 
spirit  and  beauty  of  machine.) 

Instances  are  numerous  where  in 
competition  with  Button  and  Hunnr- 
man  machines,  the  Cowing  came  out 
ahead.  O  le  of  special  importance — 
that  for  the  championship  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada — was  a  trial 
of  engines  to  test  merits  of  two  de- 
scrip'ions  of  engines,  one  manufa'- 
tured  by  Cowing  &  Co.  of  Seneca 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  and  the  other  by  Mr. 
Marks  of  Toronto,  and  took  place  at 
Bradford,  July  19th,  i860.  The  Cow- 
ing engine  was  victorious  with  forty- 
six  feet  to  sparn. 

The  history  of  Hancock  hand  en- 
gine No.  1,  which  has  since  become 
famou-i,  not  only  on  account  of  its  age, 
but  because  of  its  working  capacity, 
may  be  of  interest: 

'•Hancock  No.  1  was  built  by  Cow- 
ing &  Co.  Seneca  Falls.  N.  Y  ,  for 
Hancock  Engine  Co  No.  1.  of  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  and  received  by  that 
company  April  10,  1861.  It  was  one 
of  the  best  and  most  costly  constructed 
engines  ever  built,  and  was  some  nine 
months  in  building  It  was  retired 
from  service  there  April  30,  1865,  and 
purchased  at  Brockton  Heights  a  few 
weeks  later,  where  it  has  been  located 
ever  since,  and  is  still  in  active  ser- 
vice. It  is  a  10-inch  machine,  and 
under  equal  conditions  is  capable  of 
defeating     any    machine    ever     built. 


51 


Last  year  it  won  $2,250  as  prizes  in 
contests,  and  obtained  a  world  wide 
record  of  throwing  water  264  feet,  and 
beating  a  steam  engine  of  modern 
make  full  two  feet. 

In  all  it  has  won  33  prizes,  14  firsts, 
12  seconds.  5  thirds,  1  fourth  and  1 
tifih.  in  open  contests,  aggregiiing 
$4,855,  1  silver  trumpet,  and  one  $50 
silver  service.  (In  18G9  it  won  the 
silver  trumpe',  winch  the  local  en- 
gines annually  conies'ed  for  and 
which  the  Hancock  still  hold-*.  It 
has  won  the  most  money  in  any  one 
season  of  any  machine  and  hns  won  a 
place  in  every  muster  attended  in 
1904  ) 

At  the  last  annual  dinner  of  the 
society  now  in  possession  of  the  en- 
gine, a  handsome  pamphlet  souvenir 
was  gotten  up,  which  contained  its 
h' story,  muster  record  and  officers  of 
the  association." 

Since  the  above    was    written    a    no- 
tice has  appeired  in  fine    of    the  issuer 
of  the  Boston    Tran^^cript    for    Septem 
ber    s'ating    that    Hnncoclj    No.    1   has 
won  yf  t  another  pr  Z'^. 

In  1863  John  A.  Rumsey  retired 
from  the  firm  and  Mr  Cowing's  son, 
Marshall,  hecaine  a  partner. 

Father  and  sons  carried  on  the  bnsi- 
until  1875.  when,  through  no  fault  of 
Mr.  Cowing,  reverses  swept  away  the 
greater  part  of  the  properly,  forcing 
him  to  retire  from  active  business. 

Cowing  &  Co.  manufactured  fire  en- 
gines, various  sizes  and  kinds  of 
pumps, garden  engines,  railroad  pumps, 
hydraulic  rams,  thimble  skein  and  pipe 
boxes,  and  a  ^reat  variety  of  iron  and 
brass  goods;  and  Mr.  Cowing  not  only 
acquired  a  world  wide  reputation  as  a 
pioneer  in  the  manufacture  of  cast-iron 
well  and  cistern  pumps,  but  he  was 
also  the  pioneer  in  the  manufacture  of 
many  things  now  successfully  manu- 
factured in  this  village— notably,  metal 
letters  and  cast  thread  fittings, 

Mr.  Cowing  was  for  a  long  time 
identified  with  the  business  interests  of 
Seneca  Falls— a  good  portion  of  the 
time  occupying  the  foremost  position 
in  this  respect.  The  firm  had  its  full 
share  of   misfortune  and  reverses— the 


many  fires  alone  would  have  discour- 
aged many  a  person — but  Mr.  Cowing, 
will  an  indomitable  will,  honesty  of 
purpose  and  exceptional  energy,  recov- 
ered from  each  blow  and  each  time 
build^d  on  a  greater  scale.  Beginning 
in  a  small  way  with  limited  capital,  by 
industry,  economy  and  honesty,  he 
gradually  built  up  a  large  and  prosper- 
ous itusiiiess  and  amas-ted  a  comforta- 
ble fortune.  From  a  small  two  story 
building  his  business  increased,  mak- 
ing it  necessary  to  enlai-ge  until  his 
buildings  covered  acres  in  extent. 

In  politics  he  was  a  life  long  Whig 
and  R^publicHu,  and  although  attend- 
ing to  his  duties  as  a  citi/  -n  by  regu- 
larly casting  his  ballot  on  elec'ion  days, 
he  had  no  taste  for  political  life  nor 
any  desire  to  attain  to  otRoial  position. 
The  only  offline  he  ever  held  was  that 
of  president  of  the  village  for  one 
term.  His  mind  was  too  much  absorb 
ed  in  his  large  business  enterprises  to 
permit  his  entering  public  life.  He 
took  a  great  intertst,  in  everything  that 
pertained  to  the  material  welfare  of 
the  town,  and  to  him  it  was  indebed 
for  a  goodly  share  of  its  prosper  ty  and 
ttie  enterprise  and  thrift  which  chirac- 
teriz^^d  it. 

His  was  a  successsful  life  in  the  real 
sense;  all  who  came  in  contact  with 
him  were  the  better  for  his  presence, 
by  a  kind  word  or  deed,  if  not  in  more 
material  things.  He  was  a  man  of 
genial,  sociable  disposition,  formed 
strong  attachments  toward  his  friends 
and  neighbors,  and  possessed  those  es- 
timable qualities  which  endeared  him 
to  all.  His  counsel  and  advice  were 
sought  by  men  of  all  classes,  he  having 
bnen  identified  with  the  development 
and  progress  of  our  village  in  all  its 
varit^d  bu-iiness  interests.  As  a  busi- 
ness man  he  enjoyed  a  reputation  for 
sagacity,  integrity  and  honor  which 
few  men  can  boast  of  possessing ;  and 
it  stands  to  his  credit  that  he  never 
took  advantage  of  his  creditors  to  save 
himself  from  financial  ruin. 

He  more  than  filled  out  the  measure 
of  three  score  years  and  ten,  and  died 
May  13th,  1879,  leaving  to  his  children 
the  heritage  of  an  honest  name. 


The  Gleason  &  Bailey  Manufacturing  Company 

Successors  to  COWING  &  COMPANY 


The  maiinfacture  of  fire  apparatus 
rolling  stock,  coiisistiog  of  hand  opur- 
aled  tire  enj^inos,  hook  and  ladder 
trticiia,  hose  tendnrs,  hose  wagons  and 
twu-wheeled  hose  carts,  was  Otgua  in 
the  rnonlh  of  May,  1884,  by  a  now  tirn> 
in  Seneca  Falls,  entitled  th'i  Gleason  & 
Bailey  Mfg.  Co.  The  firm  consisted  of 
EdiottJf.  Cileason,  president,  a  wealthy 
manufacturer  in  New  York,  who  also 
owned  and  operated  the  Seneca  Knit- 
ting Mills  of  this  place,  hut  who  spent 
very  little  time  nere;  Mr.  Pryce  W. 
Bailey,  long  a  resident  of  this  place, 
vice  presiilent,,  on  whom  fell  tne  great- 
er pHrt,of  the  respuisibility  of  manag- 
ing the  busine-is;  Mr.  Wallace  Drew, 
secretary;  Mr.  Wfirren  ('  Gleason, 
treasurer,  located  in  New  York,  where 
all  clerical  work  for  the  firm  Wcis  done 

The  Gleason  &  Bailey  Mfg.  Cr>-  oc- 
cupied the  old  works  of  Cowins^  &  ('o 
Although  some  of  the  best  hand  fire 
engines  of  the  con  itry  had  been  manu- 
faciured  in  these  works  by  Cowing  & 
Co.,  an  interval  of  tweMty-four  years 
had  elapsed  between  the  latter's  activ- 
ity in  this  line  and  the  reopening  of  the 
business  by  Gleason  &  Biiley.  In 
these  years,  especially  in  the  years 
secceeding  the  close  of  the  Civil  War, 
the  demand  for  more  and  better  fire 
fighting  apparatus  had  grown  to  so 
great  an  extent  that  a  new  firm — Rum- 
sey  &  Co.,  Limited,  which  had  been 
organized  to  engage  in  the  manfacture 
of  this  class  of  goods,  had  been  com. 
pelled  to  greatly  enlarge  its  facilities 
in  an  eflort  to  supply  the  increased  de. 
mand  caused  by  the  prodigious  expan- 
sion of  the  inhabited  portion  of  our 
country.  The  vice-president  of  the 
new  company  had  been  in  the  employ 
of  Rumsey  &  Co.  for  twenty  years  in 
the  capacity  of  superintendent,  so, 
when  the  course  of  events  compelled 
separation  of  employer  and  employed, 
the  latter  with  his  experience  was 
sought  by  Mr.  Gleason,  and  the  forma- 
tion of  the  firm  of  Gleason  &  Bailey 
Mfg.    Co.    was    consummated.       The 


competition  in  this  line  of  business  was 
so  active  between  the  two  firms  of 
Rumsey  &  Co.  and  Gleason  &  Bailey 
Mfg.  Co..  that  both  put  forth  every 
effort  toward  the  production  of  bet- 
ter goods,  securing  the  hest  mechanics 
to  produce  and  the  best  salesmen  to 
represent  and  dispose  of  their  products. 
Fire  companies  were  org'tnizeii,  equip- 
peil  an, I  manned,  by  and  for  their  firms 
—  Rumsey  Hose  Co.  for  o'le,  (ileason 
Fire  Patrol  for  the  other.  Large 
amounts  were  spent  in  equipping, 
maintaining  and  transporting  these 
companies  about  the  country  to  fire- 
men's conventions,  tournaments,  etc. 
No  expenditure  for  these  purpose  was 
considered  too  lavish  Tne  odds,  how- 
ever, were  ajjainst  the  former  and  in 
favor  of  the  latter. 

A  combination  was  forme'l.  Uni- 
form cost  and  selling  prices  were 
adopted  to  the  end  that  the  seller  of 
any  pie^e  of  apparatus  paid  over  to 
the  other  40  per  cent  of  the  difference 
between  cost  and  price  it  wa^  sold  at. 
The  output  of  the  Gleason  &  Bailey 
Mfg  Co.  works  for  the  years  below 
named,  were  as  follows:  1884,  5 
pieces;  1885,  IGO  pieces;  1886.  281 
pieces;  1887,  300  pieces  continuing 
this  increase  up  to  two  pieces  for  each 
working  day  in  1901. 

The  company's  products  were  sold 
to  every  civilized  nation  of  the  earth. 
In  some  states  of  our  country  it  took 
three  figures  to  enumerate  them.  So 
rapidly  did  the  reputation  of  its  manu- 
facture develop  that  in  eighteen  months 
from  the  date  of  the  organization  of 
the  company  the  number  of  its  em- 
ployees had  increased  112  per  cent.  It 
had  two  agencies  in  New  York,  Chica- 
go and  St.  Louis,  and  one  in  Sanlran- 
cisco. 

In  1877  Gleason  &  Bailey  Mfg.  Co. 
was  the  recognized  designer  and 
builder  of  all  fire  apparatus,  steam  fire 
engines  excepted,  for  the  city  of  New 
York.  Notably  the  jaunting  car  hose 
tender,  the  solid  steel  frame  hook  and 


S3 


ladder  truck  and  the  hose  wagon  car- 
rying pompier  ladder:^,  were  the  de- 
sigus  of  Chief  Ilu!J;h  Bonner  and  the 
junior  member  of  the  firm,  who,  from 
March  Isl,  1.S88,  until  February  1st, 
1891,  was  located  in  that  city  for  the 
double  purpose  of  thus  assisting'  in  de 
siirninsi  improved  fire  apparatus  and 
securing  the  city's  work  for  the  com- 
pany's shops  at  Seneca  Falls. 

The  variety  of  the  apparatus  l»nilt 
by  tlie  company  w«a  a'mos}  infinite  in 
design,  weiglit  and  price,  as  follows. 

Two-wheeled  hose  carts,  weighino 
from  o5   lbs.  to  800  lbs.,  $11    to  $350. 

Four-wheeled  carriages,  weighing 
from  40  lbs.  to  -4,000  lbs.,  $250  to 
$1,800. 

Hose  wagons,  weighing  800  lbs.  to 
3,500  lbs..  $250  to  *!)00. 

Hook  and  ladder  trucks,  w^-ighing 
400  ll)s    to  9,500   lbs..  $300   to  $3,000. 

Combination        chemical        wagons, 


weighing   from    1,000    lbs.     to    3,000 
lbs  ,  $1,200  to  $3, GOO. 

Tlie  variation  in  weigiit  represents, 
to  a  great  extent,  the  ditlering  demands 
of  the  municipalities  ordering  them  It 
also,  to  somti  extent,  represents  the 
characteristics  of  the  towns  and  cities 
for  whicli  they  were  made.  The  dill- 
erence  in  tlie  prices  was  not  at  all 
regulated  by  the  weight;  the  tiuisb  and 
ornamentation  of  the  vehicle  nearly 
alwa\s  determined  the  prices  excep  m 
cases  where  keen  compel  tion  forced 
down  prices  to  actual  cost,  or  some- 
lime,  I'eiow  th><t  litinre. 

The  oraanizatioii  of  a  tire  apparatus 
syndicate,  ^bout  the  \ear  1901,  under 
the  corporate  title  '  I'he  Interuatioiial 
Fire  Engine  CompHi>\,''  purchased  the 
entire  l)u-'iness  of  the  <ileason  &  Haiiey 
Mia.  Co.,  including  real  estate,  ptt- 
terns,  patents,  tools  and  good  wid. 
and  this,  per  force  i>rouirht  to  an  end 
the  firm  of  Ghason  &  Bailey. 


Jacob  P.  Chamberlain 


The  subject  of  tbis  sketch  was  boru 
at  Dudley,  Mass.,  in  1802.  Of  Eng- 
lish descent,  his  ancestors  came  to  this 
country  at  an  early  day  and  settled  iu 
the  Bay  state.  Identifying  themselves 
with  the  fortunes  of  the  colony,  they 
took  part  in  her  struggles  and  were 
active  in  the  cause  of  independence. 
The  grand  father,  Capt.  Jacob  Chaua- 
berlain,  then  in  his  60th  year,  was 
among  the  first  to  alarm  the  people  of 
Lexington  of  the  approach  of  the  Brit- 
ish. He  was  at  Concord,  Bunker  Hill 
and  other  battles.  His  sou  John,  was 
a  boy  of  14  years  at  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war,  entering  the  service  very 
young  as  an  ensign,  later  marrying 
Mary  Lee,  the  cousin  of  Gen.  Henry 
Lee  of  Westmoreland,  Va.  He  was 
at  Stony  Point,  Valley  Forge,  taking 
part  in  many  engagements.  After  the 
close  of  the  war,  he  was  elected  stata 
senator  to  represent  his  district.    With 


his  brother  he  had  studied  surveying 
and  civil  engineering,  and  soon  adopt- 
ed this  work  as  iiis  profession,  going 
on  journeys  and  locating  grants,  win- 
ning a  reputation  as  an  Indian  tighter 
and  a  skillful  surveyor  and  civil  en 
gineer, — so  well  known  that  he  was 
appoiu'ed  one  of  the  commissioners 
to  lay  <  ff  the  stite  of  Maine  from  the 
commonwealth.  The  motive  that  led 
him  to  remove  wiih  his  family  to  Cort- 
land county,  N  Y.,  in  1807,  and  two 
years  Imer  to  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  was 
I  he  glowing  reports  that  had  gone  out 
of  tins  lake  region  of  central  New 
York,  of  iis  feriile  soils  and  rich  tim- 
ber lauds;  and  e-'pecially  the  fact  that 
it  WHS  being  rapidly  settled  and  of- 
fered him  rare  opportunities  for  his 
seivice.  And  in  tlii>j,  his  expectation 
was  realized,  finding  plenty  to  do  with 
the  compa^is  and  chain,  and  soon  called 
with  ( thers  to  assist  iu  straijihtening 
out  the  celebrated  G^rham  tangle,  in 
which  the  stale  had  become  involved 
with  two  land  companies. 

The  home  in  Waterloo,  N.  Y  ,  was 
on  West  Main  street,  beyond  the  Acad- 
emy park,  a  large,  square  framed 
house,  still  standing,  its  old  style  tell- 
ing more  of  its  age  than  the  eftects  of 
a  century  that  has  passed  over  it. 
There  John  Chimberlain  and  wife 
lived  many  years,  with  a  family  of 
four  sous  and  three  daughters.  Jacob 
Payson,  named  after  Dr.  Payson,  an 
eminent  Methodist  divine  of  New  Eng- 
land, was  the  youngest,  and  when  of 
suitable  age  his  parents  were  anxious 
to  secure  for  him  every  facility  of  in- 
struction. Their  desire  was  seconded 
by  the  son,  who  seeing  other  boys 
with  their  books  going  to  school,  was 
eager  to  join  them.  The  means  of 
education  were  limited,  in  range  of 
instruction  and  methods  of  illustration, 
and  yet  to  pupils  inclined  to  study, 
they  supplied  very  much  of  training 
and  knowledge  in  elementary  and   ac- 


55 


ademic  branches.  Of  en  the  teacher 
was  far  better  than  the  t"xt  book,  in- 
structing from  a  broader  culture  and 
experience,  and  imparling  a  helpful 
personal  intlueuce.  leachers  like 
Daniel  VV'.  Keeler,  Amtierst  Childs 
and  Peter  Worts,  strict  in  discipline, 
felicitous  in  their  modes  of  conveying 
information,  often  redeemed  the  old- 
time  school  in  the  character  of  its 
work.  It  was  so  of  that  on'^-s'ory 
yellow  school  house,  around  the  park 
on  West  William  stre-^t,  where  the 
boy,  Jacob,  was  sent.  There  he  found 
those  well  able  to  guide  and  instruct 
him,  to  encourage  and  call  out  his 
eflforts,  already  stmiuiated  by  his  love 
for  books  His  progress  was  rapid, 
for  he  was  intent  on  his  studies;  the 
bare  walls,  hard  benches  and  clumsy 
desks  mattered  not  in  an  atmosphere 
that  inspired  and  drew  out  the  best  in 
him.  The  thought,  ton,  that  his  scho  )1- 
ing  cost  something  made  him  prize 
higher  his  advantages  and  make  the 
most  of  them.  His  school  days  also 
gave  him  a  high  concep'ion  of  the 
teacher's  calling  The  teacher  was 
the  educational  factor,  the  power  to 
direct  and  mould  the  minds  of  the 
scholars,  a  high  and  important  position 
that  so  impressed  him  that  after  his 
parents  death  and  when  17  years  old, 
he  applied  for  and  was  elected  teat^her 
in  one  of  the  district  schools  of  Var- 
ick,  then  the  town  of  Romulus. 

The  country  school  he  found  quite 
different  from  that  which  he  had  at- 
tended in  the  village.  His  ideal  had 
to  be  re-adjusted.  The  compensation 
was  less  and  the  duties  relatively 
greater.  He  must  be  his  janitor,  look- 
ing after  the  school  room  and  tending 
the  fires;  he  was  given  his  board,  but 
must  seek  it  at  appointed  times  among 
the  patrons  of  the  school ;  he  was  ex- 
pected to  show  in  the  examinations  at 
the  end  of  the  term  that  all  had  made 
good  progress,  and  if  any  htd  not,  the 
blame  was  likely  to  be  cliarged  to  him 
He  must  maintain  discipline,  thouiih 
the  ugly  fact  often  faced  him,  at  these 
winter  sessions,  when  little  farm  work 
could  be  done,  that  many  attended, 
older  and  larger  than  he,  some  of 
whom  conceived   it   a  rare  chance  for 


having  '<a  good  time  and  doing  as  they 
p'eased."  Whil^  these  crcumstancts 
modified  his  nctiou,  tfiey  did  not  lessen 
his  zt^al  and  duty  as  a  teacher.  He 
cou'd  gel  along  with  moderate  pay ; 
he  could  b^  his  own  janitor;  the  walk, 
one  week  here  and  one  week  there  for 
his  meals  was  after  all  a  tiealthy  exer- 
cise, with  the  advantage  of  opening  to 
him  the  homes  in  the  disliict  and  af- 
fording him  evenings  of  social  inter- 
course. If  a  disposition  was  shown  by 
any  to  be  wilful  and  unruly,  he  was 
confident  of  his  ability  to  speedily  quell 
it  and  secure  ord'-r.  Eager,  however, 
to  ineHsure  his  skill  by  the  progress  of 
his  scholars,  the  condition  most  dis- 
quieting was  that  the  scho  )l  was  kept 
open  only  five  or  six  months  of  the 
year,  with  a  holiday  intermission  of  a 
week  or  ten  days,  j-o  that  what  was 
gained  in  one  seas  in's  work  was  in 
some  degree  lost  by  the  long  vacation, 
necessitating  c  )usiderable  time  in  re- 
views before  new  worl«  could  be  taken 
up.  But  this  cou'd  not  well  be 
ciiaaged,  for  the  boys  and  girls  were 
required  at  home  during  the  busy  part 
of  the  year.  Simp'y,  the  best  had  to  be 
done  under  the  circunistances.  And  it 
is  only  necessary  to  add  that  this  was 
done  so  well  that  his  service  was  high- 
ly appreciated,  by  not  only  increasing 
his  salary  but  by  urging  him  to  con- 
tinue, even  after  he  had  become  in- 
terested in  farming 

Environment  is  formative.  The 
school  room  had  its  attraction,  but 
outside  was  a  charm  of  more  subtile, 
potent  power.  To  be  in  the  farm 
homes,  to  hear  and  talk  of  tilling  the 
soil,  to  work  at  haying  and  harvesting, 
breathe  the  fragrance  of  the  air  and 
feel  the  freshness  and  freedom  of  this 
life,  WHS  to  come  within  an  illflu^^nce 
that  could  not  but  exert  its  eff'^ct. 
Sensible  to  this,  the  thought  of  becom 
intr  a  farmer  took  form  early,  growing 
more  defined  as  his  means  increased 
and  enabled  him  to  realize  it.  In  this 
he  was  encouraged  by  his  nearest 
f  I  lends,  the  Gambes.  Robinsons  and 
Kuneys.  In  the  home  of  the  last,  in 
which  he  often  visited,  was  one  fn 
whom  he  was  warmly  attached  and 
with  whom  these  plans  weredistiussed 


The  opportunity  soon  offering,  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  some  75  acres,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  ttae  sohool 
house,  about  half  uf  which  was  under 
tillai/e  and  up  ni  whioh  whs  a  log 
bouse  of  moderate  size.  There  he 
broujiht  his  bride,  Catharine,  the 
daughter  of  Frederick  Kuney.  and 
commeuced  farmint;.  TIih  work  was 
hard  but  iu  it  was  a  knen  sense  of  en- 
j)yment;  the  fertile  soil  gave  a  gen- 
erous return,  and  in  a  few  years  he 
found  him-ielf  indejjendent,  enj  'ying 
the  conhdence  and  sliariog  in  the  pub- 
lic trusts  of  his  town. 

All    thi^    time,    however,    there   bad 
been  a  sironjr  pressure  for  him    to    re- 
move   to     Waterloo.       His     brothers. 
John  and  Oren,  who  had   farm^,    were 
anxious  to  have  him    nearer   to   them, 
and    when    the    Dimmii-k    p'aoe,     just 
south    of    the    Kingdom     bridge,     was 
offered    for    sale    they    quite    insisted 
upon    his    buying    it.     Though     reluc- 
tant   to    sever    the    pleasant    relations 
formed  in  Varick.  there    were    re'isons 
tliat    commended     the     change       Am- 
bitious to  get  ahead,    yet    he   was   cau- 
tious in  disposition  not  to  involve  him 
self  without  due  thought;  if  in  baianc 
ing  probat)ilities,  the  chances  amounted 
to  a  moral  certainty  of  success,  he  was 
ready  to  throw  his  whole  eneru'v  into  it. 
The    Dimmick    farm     was    nearnr    to 
market,    the    soil     was    good    though 
heavier,  the  orchard  was  large  and  the 
builduigs    in     fair    condition.       These 
had  their  weight,    but    what  was  more 
conclusive    was    the    fact    that    in    the 
f'lrm    were    200     acres,    three-quarters 
under  cultiva.ion,    ample    to   carry  out 
in    a    system    of    rotation    his   ideas  of 
farming    and    treatment    of    the    soil. 
Having  satisfied  himself    he   purchased 
the    place,    and    removed    there   in  the 
spring  of  183^,  entering  at  once    up  -n 
larger   farm    operatiotis,    pruning  and 
cultivating  the    fruit    trees,    repairing 
fences  and  huildini/s,  studymg  the  sod 
of  each  field,    and    then    arranging  for 
crops    best    adapted    to    each,    under  a 
treatment    of    summer-fallowing    aud 
plowing  under  maaure  and  clover  that 
would  well  sustain  the  fertilitv    of    the 
land.      The  true  method,    he    believed, 
was  not  to  rob  but  to  give  back   to  the 


56 

soil    what  would    nourish   and   main- 
tain   a    strong    aud    liealihy  plant  life. 
And    the    results    following    this    plan 
amply    confirmed     its     wisdom.     The 
farm  put  on  a  bright  and  vigorous    ap- 
pearance,   the   trees  bure  their  luscious 
fruits,  the  fields    smiled   and  glistened 
with  their  abuudant  stretches  of    wav- 
ing hay  and  grain  aud  the  home  shared 
not  only    in    comforts    but    in    many  a 
luxury.     Ten    years    of    faithful   work 
had    brought  its   reward.      With   these 
pleasant   surroundings,    with    easy  ac- 
cess   to    Waterloo    aud    Seneca     Falls 
where  the  news  could  be  had  <laily  and 
where  tbe  children    could    obtain  good 
school  facilities,  there  was  hardly  more 
tliat  one  could  wish    for.      The  life  and 
conditions    t)    which    he    had    attained 
were    satisfying, — the    ideal    he     had 
formed  more  than  twenty  years    before 
liad    been    fairly    reached,    and   it  was 
not    likely    that    any    initiative   of  his 
would    have    changed    it.     But    it   was 
not  to  be  so.      He    had    become   surety 
for  his  brother-in  law    on   a  purctiase 
contract  of  the  lower    Red  Mills  and  in 
default    thereof    notice    of    action  had 
been  served  on  him.     It    was    a  cnsis. 
He  would  have  gladly  paid    something 
10  settle  the  matter,    but   his    advisors, 
Judgrt  Sackett  and  Johu    Maynard  held 
out  no  hope  of  a  compromise.      The  al- 
ternative was  either  to  lose  all    he    had 
or  assume  the  purchase  contract  of  the 
mills.     This  last  he  determined    to    do, 
if  iu  addition  to  th"  means  of    his  own 
he  could  secure  sufficient  financial    aid 
fro  a    Mr     Partridge    aud    llie    Seneca 
County  Bank  to    meet    the    obligations 
and    run     the    mills.     This    aid     was 
gladly  given  him    and  in  the   spring  of 
184;3  he  moved  to  the  house  on   Seneca 
street  and  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  flour. 

The  millitijo  business  was  then  at  its 
high  tide.  If  the  speculative  element 
could  be  e  iminated,  it  would  be  reason- 
ably safe  and  profitable.  For  this 
r<^ason,  it  had  proved  disastrous  to  mo*>t 
millers.  The  fluctuation  in  price  of 
griin,  often  the  foreign  advices  in  a 
single  day  sending  it  np  or  down  many 
points,  the  natural  disposition  to  buy 
freely  on  an  advance,  long  before  the 
fljur  could  be  delivered  and  the  mar- 


ket  taken  advantage  of,    resulted   not 
iufrtquently  iu   large  lo^si's.     Once  in 
a  while  it   iniglit  prove    a  happy  '-hit" 
like  a  niove  on  the  stock  board  but   far 
more  often  the   opera' or  must  pay    for 
his  folly       To  les^sen  this  risk  or  to  buy 
and  sell  under  like  market  eonditions, 
where  a  manufacturer's  profit  could.be 
realized  wa^  the   dictate   of    prudence 
and   gO(d  business  judgment.      And  it 
was  this  rue  that    informed    the   new 
policy  of  the  mills,  and  insured  a  fair 
and  steady   nieasme  of    success.      The 
wheat    boujiht  from    day    to    day    was 
estimated    in    Hour,    and    this    amount 
under  dillerent  brands  was  sold  at  Al- 
bany, subject  to  15  or  20  da}s  delivery, 
or  if  the  market  tliere  did  not  take  the 
offerings,  AJr.  Cliamberlain  would  take 
the  packet  and  make  sales  at  Syracuse, 
Rome,  Oneida  and  Uiica.     Thus  he  se- 
cured an    outlet    for    the    mill    product 
that  enabhd  him  to  see  just    what    the 
mills    were    doing    every    day.       The 
speculative  feature  was   practically  ex- 
cluded.    Another    advanage    followed. 
He  was  always  in  the  market  to    buy, 
for  lie    was    carrying    no    considerable 
stock,  cautiously  on  an  advancing  and 
more  freely  on  a  falling  market,    indi> 
eating  a  bit  of  sound   commercial  pliil- 
osopby  that  it  is  a    eood    time    to    Iniy 
when  all  were  anxious  to  sell  and  vice 
versa. 

These  business  features  are  noted  as 
disclosing  traits  of  character.  In  tem- 
perament there  was  nothing  impul-ive 
or  hasty  to  induce  liim  to  incur  jjreat 
risks.  His  action  was  the  result  of  re- 
flection. He  wished  to  see  his  way 
clearly  before  he  decided.  If  the 
market  were  unsettled,  with  a  ujarked 
tendency  up  or  down,  he  souglit  to  un- 
derstand the  cause  and  measure  as  far 
as  he  could  its  eflect.  keepina:  within  a 
limit  that  his  judgment  approved  as 
prudent.  Avoiding  extremes,  his 
course  was  conservative  and  found  him 
at  all  times  ready  and  without  trouble 
able  to  adjust  his  business  to  market 
fluctuations,  He  was  open  in  his  deal- 
ings, frankly  explaining  the  condition 
of  the  market,  ?o  that  buyer  and  seller 
stood  on  equal  terms.  He  never  press- 
ed his  opinion  on  others,  but  after  giv- 
ing them    the  best    light  he  could,  they 


57 

were  left  free  to  act  as  their  judgment 
inclined.  The  frankness  of  this  atti- 
tude, dictated  by  his  sense  of  honor 
and  fairness,  was  in  its  unusual  (piality 
all  the  stronger  to  impart  coiitidenee 
and  establish  intimate  and  p'easant 
relations.  And  rarely  did  he  meet 
with  other  than  a  like  return  from 
those  with  whom  he  dealt.  Men  came 
to  him  because  they  knew  he  would 
tell  thein  the  facts,  knew  that  he  would 
deal  with  them  opHuly  and  honorably. 
It  was  tills  disposition,  these  qualities, 
that  won  him  success  and  high  charac- 
ter iu  his  milling  business  and  in  every 
enterprise  in  which  he  engaged. 

He  was  public  spirited,  ready  tu  aid 
any  niovement  that  would  increase  the 
growth  of  the  place.  In  the  ori:aniza- 
tion  of  the  woolen  mill  in  1844  he  was 
one  of  the  incorporators.  T'his  was  an 
advanced  industry,  and  though  not 
successful  in  its  first  period,  he  had 
that  faith  in  it,  in  its  ability  to  pay 
well  its  stockholders  under  skillful  and 
competent  management,  that  he  re- 
organiz9d  it  in  1855  as  the  "Phrenix 
Mills,"  many  of  his  farmer  friends 
coming  to  his  support,  with  the  result 
that  it  met  every  expectation  of  sue 
ct-ss  he  had  entertained  for  it.  Two 
features  of  the  business  indicated  his 
firmer  preference,  one  in  opening  a 
wool-buying  department  and  the  other, 
a  retail  counter,  where  cloths  could  be 
bought  by  the  yard  at  wholesale  prices, 
a  custom  unusual  but  warmly  appre-  ■ 
ciated. 

In  1871  he  was  active  in  establishing 
here  a  Savings  Bank.  He  became  its 
first  president  and  continued  to  hold 
the  office  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
At  the  start  there  was  a  feeling  that 
there  was  no  room  here  for  a  bank  of 
this  kind,  but  time  has  shown  the  con- 
trary and  proved  that  it  has  been  one 
of  the  most  successful  and  beneficent 
institutions  ever  established  with  us, 
furnishing  our  wage  earning  people  an 
opportunity  for  safely  depositing  a  part 
of  their  weekly  wages  and  of  drawing 
interest  thereon.  More,  it  has  been  a 
fine  object  lesson,  teaching  every  hour 
the  wisdom  of  thrift  and  economy  The 
little  sum  deposited  in  August,  1871, 
has   grown  to   over  $600,000 — a  proof 


58 


that  the  prophecy  of  its  founders  has 
been  far  more  than  realized. 

In  politics  Mr.  Chamberlain,  with 
his  strong  anti  slavery  vi^ws,  allied 
himself  with  the  Wliig  party,  though 
often  disappoined  with  its  halting  and 
compromising  policy.  Clay  and  Web- 
ster were  greatly  admired  by  him.  He 
vsent  to  Boston  to  hear  Webster's  great 
oration  at  the  completion  of  Bunker 
Hill  monument.  In  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party  he  took  an 
early  and  deep  interest.  He  was  well 
acquainted  with  Gov.  Seward,  Gov. 
Feu  ton,  George  Dawson,  Thurlow 
Weed,  Millard  P'llmore,  E.  G  Spalding 
and  other  prominent  men.  He  was 
not  a  politician  in  the  sense  the  word 
is  used  to-day.  He  sought  no  ofRje, 
and  accepted  it  only  when  pu'^'lic  senti- 
ment compelled  him  to  do  so.  In  1859 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state 
asserabh^  and  two  years  later  he  was 
to  the  37th  congress.  There  he  saw 
and  often  cimversed  with  Lincoln  and 
was  deeply  impressed  by  the  simplicity 
and  greatness  of  his  chMracter.  There, 
too.  in  addition  to  his  duties  as  a  repre- 
sentative, he  gave  much  of  his  time  in 
looking  after  the  welfare  of  our  ''boys 
in  blue." 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Metliodist 
Episcopal  church,  serving  aliiost  con- 
tinuously as  president  of  its  board  of 
trustees.     He  was  prominent   in  erect- 


ing the  new  church,  contributing  liber- 
ally to  it,  and  giving  almost  the  last 
work  of  his  life  to  personally  looking 
after  its  construction. 

In  the  home  he  was  kind,  thoughtful 
and  affectionate.  To  invest  it  with 
whatever  would  contribute  to  the  com- 
fort and  happiness  of  each  member 
was  his  aim  The  broad  sympathy 
that  led  him  out  in  advice  and  material 
aid  to  others  was  seen  best  about  the 
fireside,  at  the  evening  hour,  when  he 
would  gather  all  around  him,  talk  of 
the  events  of  the  day,  enter  into  the 
plans  of  each,  counsel  and  give  cheer. 
In  pliin,  wholesome  social  amusements 
he  joined  heartilv,  but  was  opposed  to 
card  playing  and  dancing,  involving 
late  h"urs  and  cultivating  tastes  not 
helpful  in  life,  for,  above  all  else,  his 
wish  was  to  secure  for  his  children  a 
s  >und  moral  training  with  the  best 
mental  equipntent  that  schools  of  learn- 
ing could  furnish. 

In  1878  he  jjassed  away  in  his  76th 
year,  preceeded  one  moiith  by  the 
death  of  his  wife.  The  family  was 
large,  of  nine  children — Mary.  Frank, 
Chester,  Angeline.  Lucretia.  Harrison, 
John  Wesley,  Lucinda  and  Charles. 
Those  at  present  surviving  are  Gen. 
Frank  Chsmberlnin  of  Albany,  N.  Y  , 
Mrs.  L  C.  Avery  and  Harrison  Cham- 
berlain of  Snneca  P'alls  N.  Y  ,  and 
Mrs.  L.  C.  Noyes  of  Rochester,  N    Y. 


Capt.    Oren    Tyler 


Oreii  Tyler,  oldest  son  of  Job  Tyler 
was  born  in  Bri<igowalpr.  Oneida  Co., 
N.  Y  ,  on  the  21st  of  August,  1795. 
With  his  parents  he  settled  in  Onon 
daga  valley,  and  where  as  a  young  man, 
he  started  in  business  for  himself  as  a 
merchant. 

Caring  more  for  agrjeulture  than 
merchandise,  he  moved  to  lh«  town  of 
Seneca  Fnlls  in  1835,  and  purchased 
the  Soule  farm  near  the  fo  ^t  of  Cayuga 
lake,  abrut  one  mile  north  of  the  cele- 
brated bridge  of  that  name.  His  uncle 
Comfort  Tyler,  a  noted  engineer  and 
soldier,  had  much  to  do  in  the  surveys 
and  construction  of  that  bridge  which 
was  over  a  mile  long. 

As  his  family  increased  and  grew  up, 
he  realized  the  necessity  for  obtaining 
better  educational  advantages  for  his 
children,  and  purchased  the  Goodwin 
farm  in  the  village  of  Seneca  Falls 
about  the  year  I8i4,  where  he  lived 
until  his  death. 


While  in  Onondaga,  he  became  in- 
terested in  and  had  friendly  dealings 
v\ilii  the  Indians  of  the  Onondaga  tribe, 
who  were  then  quite  numerous.  He 
was  adopted  by  ihem,  speaking  their 
language  quite  lluently,  and  with  his 
broilier,  Asher  Tyler  educated  the  In- 
dian LaPorte  by  name  at  Geneva  Col 
hge. 

Asher  Tyler  also,  was  at  one  time  a 
resident  of  Seneca  Falls,  moving  from 
there  to  Cattaragus  county,  where  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  Congress 
from  that  district. 

Chauncey  Tyler,  a  still  younger 
brother  for  a  time  lived  in  Seneca  Falls, 
but  some  time  in  the  fifties  went  west 
with  his  family  and  his  descendents  are 
stdl  scattered  in  the  Western  and 
Southern  States. 

Mr.  Tyler,  always  loyal  to  his  coun- 
try was  in  his  younger  days,  elected 
ciptain  of  a  military  company,  and  his 
pairoitism  never  flagged.  VVhen  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion  broke  out,  too 
old  to  shoulder  the  musket  in  defense 
of  his  country,  he  did  all  he  could  for 
the  Union  cause,  and  was  represented 
in  the  Union  forces  by  two  sous,  two 
sons-in  law  and  nephews. 

Captain  Tyler  was  three  times  mar- 
ried, his  first  wife  being  Huldah  W. 
Marsh,  by  whom  he  had  two  children. 

Edwin  Job,  wlio  left  merchandise 
to  join  a  little  band  of  49ers,  reached 
the  Paoiflc  coast  via  Cape  Horn,  but 
after  a  year  or  two  of  s^truggling.  sick- 
ness and  privation,  returned  to  his 
home  to  resume  the  dry  goods  business 
and  afterwards  milling. 

When  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  he 
enlisted  in  the  33rd  N.  Y.  Vols.,  was 
distinguished  f<u-  bravery,  and  promoted 
to  a  captaincy.  He  died  in  October 
1870.  He  married  Mary  Elizabeth 
Cole  of  Mendon,  N  Y.,  who  survived 
him  until  1889,  when  she  died,  without 
children. 


6o 


Ellen  was  twice  married.  Early  in 
life  to  Johu  Thompson,  who  'was  en- 
gaged in  railroading,  and  helped  to 
built  the  bridge  across  the  foot  of  Cty- 
uga  lake.  They  had  one  daughter, 
(Jelia  Jane,  who  married  John  Mont, 
an  array  officer.  Both  are  now  dead, 
and  one  ctiild  tint  of  five,  Liillian  G 
Mont  of  Chicago,  III.,  survives.  Her 
second  husband  whs  Naihan  B.  Cole  of 
Mend  m,  a  successful  farmer,  who  died 
in  thrt  seventies.  She  is  still  living  at 
the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

Elizabeth  Lnngstreet  was  the  sf^eond 
wife  of  Capiain  Tyler,  who  UvkI  but 
a  few  years.  Their  only  child  was 
Celia  Deborah,  who  married  Frank 
Chamberlain  in  1850,  who  was  in  the 
milling  business  at  the  time,  but  after 
wards°moved  to  Albany,  where  he  was 
ft  commis-iion  merciiant.  He  served  in 
the  Civil  War,  and  she,  always  patiiolic 
gave  her  time,  attention  and  means  to 
the  wives  and  widows  of  those  who 
■  had  enlisted  in  the  regiment  of  which 
her  husband  was  colonel.  Of  their 
three  children,  Eugene  Tyler,  Commis- 
sioner of  Navigation  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  M'lry  Celia  of  Albany,  N.  Y., 
are  living— Elizabeth  Longstreet  (Hor- 
ton)  died  recently  at,  Albany,  N    Y. 

Capt.  Tyler's  third  wife  was  Nancy 
bliss  of  Hartford,  (  o  in.,  by  whom  were 
born  six  children.  Darwin,  who  de 
voted  his  life  mostly  to  farming,  mar- 
ried Ann  Eliza  oherman  in  Februarv, 
1863.  He  died  in  November,  1888. 
They  had  four  children,  Ellen  Mary, 
who  married  George  B.  Crowell,  a  suc- 
cessful grocery  merchant,  who  died  in 
May,  1903;  Sherman,  second  child 
died  in  infancy  ;  Bertha  Bliss,  who  is 
still  living;  Edwin  Sherman,  died  aged 
twenty  years;  Caroline  Bliss,  married 
James  I.  Bryant  of  Hartford,  Conn., 
in  1874,  and  died  in  February,  1880. 
Charlotte  (unmarried)  is  livmg  in 
Hartford,  Conn. 

Mary  E  izabeth.  married  Charles  W. 
McClintock  in  1856.  who  was  a  leading 
druggist  at  the  time  in  Seneca  Falls. 
He  served  in  the  Civil  War  with  rank 
as  major.  They  had  two  children  and 
two  grand-children,  all  of  whom  are 
living,  Fannie  B.  and  Charles  Tyler — 
the  grandchildren,    Gladys  Eaton,  and 


Charles  Boughlon  McClintock.     Eliza- 
beth died  in  October,  1900. 

Seneca  left  home  early  in  life  going 
west  as  an  engineer.  When  the  war 
broke  out,  he  enlisted  in  the  20th  Iowa, 
and  continued  through  to  the  end,  be- 
ing at  the  surrender  of  Vick-<burg  to 
Grant  of  the  Union  army.  After  the 
war,  he  again  took  up  surveying  on  the 
western  railroads,  and  was  on  the  first 
train  that  entered  DesMomes,  Iowa. 
Ho  was  surveyor  of  Morris  Co  ,  Kan- 
sas, for  ten  years  and  also  real  estate 
agent.  In  March  1870  he  was  married 
to  Hannah  Grippin,  and  both  are  still 
living  in  Council  Grove,  Kansas.  No 
children. 

Welthea  Butler,  after  completing  her 
school  days  at  the  Seneca  Falls  Acad- 
emy, began  teaching  a  private  school 
in  a  little  school  house,  built  for  her  by 
her  father,  which  was  afterwards  mer 
ged  into  the  public  school  system. 

In  1874,  by  some  means,  (chicanery) 
she  was  deprived  of  her  position  as 
teacher  in  the  public  schoo',  and  went 
to  Hartford,  Conn  ,  where  she  was  of- 
fered a  position  in  a  ward  school.  She 
was  so  successful  there,  that  she  was 
asked  to  be  principal  of  a  i\ew  school 
to  be  opened  in  the  south  part  of  the 
citv,  which  position  she  filled  until 
1886,  when  she  married  Mr.  Robert  E. 
Day,'  president  of  the  Security  Com 
paiiy,  a  banking  institution  of  that  city. 
After  his  death  in  1894.  she  was  elected 
on  the  Board  of  Education,  being  the 
first  woman  ever  elected  to  the  position 
in  the  conservative  city  of  Hartford- 
She  served  on  the  Board  nine  years,  be- 
ing successfully  elected  by  both  Repub- 
licans and  Democrats  for  a  term  of 
three  years.  She  was  mainly  instru- 
mental iu  the  introduction  of  manual 
labor  in  the  schools,  and  during  her 
administration  the  high  schools,  which 
were  at  a  low  ebb,  received  such  an 
impetus,  that  their  success  is  now  as- 
sured. She  died  in  June  1903,  hon- 
ored and  beloved 

Nancy  Bliss  Tyler  died  in  March  1863. 

Capt.  Oien  Tyler  died   January    13, 

1875,  in  his  80th    year,    a   pioneer   of 

known  ability,  a   failhftd    citiz<^n,  and 

has  left  an  example  worthy  of  imitation. 


Jacob   Crowninshield 


Jacob  Crowniusliield,  a  former  resi- 
dent of  Seneca  Falls,  was  iiorn  in 
SaleiD,  Ma^s.,  Ocober  7th,  1801,  and 
died  in  Nashville.  Tenn.,  July  8lh, 
1875,  and  is  buried  in  Restvale  ceme- 
tery. He  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Crown- 
inshield, a  member  of  congress  in  Jefl'- 
erson's  administration,  and  who  was 
appointed  and  confirmed  as  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  at  the  coiimencement  of 
Jefferson's  second  administration,  hut 
did  not  assume  the  duties  of  the  office 
owing  to  ill  health.  His  moiher  was 
Sarah  Gardner  of  a  well-known  fimily 
of  Salem,  Mass.  He  had  one  brother, 
William,  who  was  lost  at  sea  on  a  voy- 
age from  the  South  of  FrHUce  to  Italy, 
and  two  sisters,  Sarah,  wife  of  Richard 
S.  Rogers,  a  merchnnt  of  Salem,  and 
Mary,"wife  of  William  Endicott,  a  de- 
scendent  of    Governor   Endicott.     He 


had    two    uncles    on  iiis    father's  si.'.e, 
(Jforge,   wiio    owned  and    coinmandtd 
ilie  rtist    sea-going  v«clit    in  llie  United 
Stalls,     the    "(Jieopatra    Barge."     and 
who    went  to    llalif«x  undur    a  fiig    of 
truce  during    the  War  of    1812-15  and 
Lrouglii  back  the  body  of    Cnpi    Law 
renco,    comuiaiuh-r    of    the    U.  S.  ship 
Chesaiieake,    captured  by    the    British 
ship     Shannon.        Another     uncle    was 
Benjamin  W.  Crowmiishield,  who   was 
secretary     of     the     navy    in    I'rcHident 
Madi-on's  administration.    Tlie  subj'Ct 
of  tiiis  memoir  was  a  lineal  descendant 
of    Dr.  Jan  Richter  Casper  VnnCrowii- 
inshie'd,  who    s<  ttied  in   Lynn,  Mass., 
during  the  reign  of    Queen   Anne,  and 
who  had  fld   from  Austria  during  the 
relioious    wars    of   that   time.      Jacob 
Crowninshie'd  was   married  in  1831  to 
Mary  Miller  Schuyler   in  New  York,   a 
member    of   the   well-known    Schuyler 
family    of    this    state,    a    daughter    of 
Arent  Schuyler,  a  connection  of  Gener- 
al Schuyler  of    the  Revolution.      Mrs. 
Crowninshield    died    in    Seneca  Falls 
July  7th,  1867,  and  is  buried    in   Rest- 
vale    cemetery.     Jacob    Crowninshield 
resided    in    New   York  until    1841  and 
then  moved  to  Seneca  county,  living  at 
Cayuga    lake  with    his  brother  in-law, 
Henry  Pines,  who    married    his  wife's 
sister,  and  in  the  spring  of  1843  moved 
to  Seneca  Falls  and  occupied  the  house 
on  East  Bayard  street, now  the  residence 
of  the  children  of  John  P.  Cowing.     In 
1868  he  moved  to  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  with 
ihe  family  of    his  son-in-law,  Howard 
Underbill,     who     married     his     oldest 
daughter,  Mary,  and  after   living  there 
a  few  years  moved  to  Nashville.  Tenn., 
where  he  died  as  above  s'ated.     He  had 
six   children.     Jacob,  the  oldest,    who 
was    born  in    New  York    and  who  now 
lives    in  Seneca  Falls,  and    is  the    last 
survivor  of   three  who  went  from  this 
place    around  Cape  Horn    to  California 
in    1849,  and   who   lived    in  that    state 
nearly  thirty  years,  and  who  followed 


62 


the  sea  a  number  of  years,  both  in  the 
merchant  service  and  in  the  U.  S. 
Navy,  having  in  the  course  of  his  voy- 
ages roundt'd  C«pe  Horn  three  times, 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  twice  and 
visited  many  places  in  South  America, 
China,  West  Indies  and  Central  Amer- 
ica Also  Mary  Schuyler,  who  married 
Howard  Underhill  in  1857  and  died  in 
Nashville,  Tenn..  in  1889;  William  B., 
who  lives  in  B  utlton,  Ind.  Arent 
Schuyle'",  who  lives  af  Shot  Harbor. 
Me.,  and  who  entered  the  U  S  navy 
as    a  cadet    at  the   Naval  Academy    in 


September,  I860,  and  who  served  in 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  and  was  pres- 
ent at  the  Battle  of  Fort  Fisher  on 
board  the  U.  S.  S.  Ticonderoga.  He 
pa*<sed  through  all  the  grades  of  the 
service  and  is  now  a  rear  admiral  on 
the  retired  list  of  the  navy.  He  was 
chief  of  the  bureau  of  navigation,  Navy 
department,  during  the  administratioa 
of  President  McKinley,  and  was  after- 
wards c'tmiuander  of  the  European 
squadron  at  the  coronation  of  King 
Edward  of  England. 


Deming   Boardman 


Hon.  Samnel  Borman,  an  English- 
man, came  to  Ipswich,  Mass.,  about 
1637  or  8,  and  removed  from  there  to 
Wethersfield,  Conn.,  about  1640 

Few  of  the  early  st-tilers  of  Con- 
necticut came  there  with  a  better  rep- 
utation, or  sustained  it  more  uniform- 
ly through  life  than  Mr.  Borman,  and 
few,  if  any  gentleman  in  the  colony, 
represented  his  town  at  the  General 
Assembly  as  many  sessions  as  Mr. 
Borman.  He  held  many  offices  of 
trust  and  honor  and  was  the  father  of 
the  Boardmans  of  America.  The 
name  was  changed  in  1712  by  adding 
the  letter  D  (Bordman)  and  years 
afterward  the  letter  A  was  added,  as 
now  spelled  by  the  family.  Six  gen- 
erations later  in  the  year  1790,  the 
first   Boardman   of  our   county— Ben- 


«jah — settled  near  Ovid,   and    built  the 
first  mill  there  in  1793. 

Among  the  records  of  the  family  is 
an  old  agreement,  d-ited  January  30th, 
1795.  It  was  for  the  purchase  of  a 
mu  atto  boy  named  Pjdmund,  of  (ien 
John  Lamb  'i  Kevolutionary  fame; 
agreeing  .o  manumit  him  at  the  age  of 
hfteen  years,  "provided  he  does  cm- 
rtuct  himself  in  such  manner  as  to 
merit  from  the  people  of  the  neighbor- 
hood or  vicinity,  in  which  1  may  re 
side,  the  character  of  a  good  servant." 
Signed,  Beufijah  Boardman.  Levi 
Boaidman.  a  sometime  resident  of  Ca- 
noga,  and  one  Reoecca  Boardman, 
were,  we  believe  descendants  of  Ben 
ajih  and  probably  there  were  others 
of  which  we  have  nu  record. 

Sergeant  Elijah  Boardman,  a  younger 
brother  of  Benajnh,  removed  from  St. 
Albans,  Vermont,  in  1811,  and  settled 
in  this  county.  He  was  then  a  dis- 
abled pensioner  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  His  military  experience  having 
besrun  with  ihe  Lexington  alarm  in 
1776,  he  being  one  of  the  brave  de- 
fenders who 

"Fired  the  shot  heard  around  the 
world." 

From  that  time  until  1783  he  served 
his  country,  and  as  ensign,  color 
bearer,  and  sergeant  was  commended 
for  "integrity  and  valor."  With  his 
family,  cou«istiag  of  wife  and  nine 
children,  he  journeyed  with  an  ox 
team  and  all  his  goods  and  chattels  ex 
pecting  to  settle  in  Ohio. 

It  was  a  long,  slow  journey  from 
Vermont,  and  a  great  undertaking  for 
an  invalid.  They  arrived  one  fine  Oc- 
tober afternoon,  at  what  is  now  called 
Bridgeport,  having  crossed  the  fir^t 
bridge  that  spanned  Cayuga  Lake, 
asking  the  gate  keeper  if  he  knew 
aught     of     one    Benajah     Boardman. 


64 


'<Benajah,  ihe  miller?  Why,  he  passed 
not  two  hours  since."  Imagine 
how  disappointed  the  home  sick  im 
migrants  must  have  been.  In  a  strange 
land,  wearying  for  a  familiar  face, 
but  not  disheartened,  encouraged 
rather,  they  pushed  on  to  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Sheridan  Carroll  farm, 
south  of  Seneca  Falls.  There  Elijah 
established  his  family  for  the  night, 
and  he  started  on  foot  to  find  his 
brother  wliom  he  overtook    next    day. 

Consultation  with  BeuMJah  must 
havH  ohanged  plans,  for  in  the  spring 
of  1812  he  located  a  farm  in  Junius, 
and  lived  on  it  until  h  s  death  two 
years  latt-r. 

Francis,  his  oldest  son.  died  in  Fay 
etteinl813;a  daughter,  Polly,  mar- 
ried Georye  Martin,  who  was  a  'ner 
chant  in  Fa\ette  until  hisdwath  in  1826  ; 
a  son,  Elijah,  became  an  itinerant 
Methodist  preacher,  and  oth  rs  of  his 
family  scat'ered  to  distant  homes — 
only  Deming.  the  younge^it  child,  re 
maining  in  this  locality.  Hn  was  b'  rn 
in  St.  Allians,  Vermont,  in  1799,  and 
died  in  Seneca  Falls  in  1891.  having 
been  a  cominuous  resident  for  eighty- 
one  years  within  a  radius  of  six  or 
eight  miles. 

Stephen  Crane,  one  of  the  Hist  set- 
tlers of  Tyre,  was  a  neighbor  of 
Boardman's,  and  one  night  when  a 
merry  party  of  youngs'ers  were 
"sugaring  ofi""  at  a  sugar  camp  on  ihe 
Crane  farm,  Deming  Boardinan  and 
Polly  Crane  decided  to  get  married 
then  and  there.  A  justice  of  the  peace 
was  at  hand  and  the  deed  was  done. 
Deming  was  only  seventeen  and  their 
sole  possessions,  he  was  wont  to  say, 
were  fifteen  dollars  in  money,  a  few 
pots  and  kettles,  and  a  sharp  axe. 
He  should  have  added,  a  stalwart 
frame,  good  health  and  boundless  am- 
bition. The  sharp  axe  and  willing 
hands  of  a  strong  man,  were  <qiiiva- 
lents  for  a  good  income;  the  'forest 
primeval"  only  waiting  to  be  moved  to 
to  make  place  for  generations  of  people 
Where  that  axe  slew  so  many  of  the 
giants  of  the  forests,  are  now  the  fa- 
mous orchards  and  productive  farms  of 
Tyre. 


Deming  Boardaian  was  a  man  of 
strong  personality,  a  born  leader  of 
men.  In  after  years  when  he  had  be- 
come a  successful  farm^'r,  he  used  to 
affirm,  that  he  never  s&id  go,  but  come, 
and  he  himself  led  the  armv  of  crad- 
lers,  mowers,  «fei3.,  on  his  farms  At 
difl'erent  times  he  owned  and  worked 
over  two  thousand  acres  of  land  in  this 
county,  and  when  we  think,  that  there 
were  few  labor  saving  machines  in 
those  da\s,  we  can  realize  that  head 
and  hand  were  both  needed 

Darning's  school  days  ended  in  Ver 
mont,  but  his  thorough  knowledge  of 
ttie  three  R's,  and  of  men,  stood  him 
in  good  stead  of  higher  education 
through  his  long  and  active  life.  One 
of  his  contemporaries  in  the  old  Meth- 
od'st  society  said  of  him,  "In  looks  he 
was  striking,  standing  .-lix  feet  and 
an  inch  in  his  stockings  and  well  pro- 
portioned. When  dressed  in  high  hat, 
long,  blue  coat,  he  was  indeed  a  fine 
figure  of  a  man." 

Many  are  now  living  who  can  recall 
the  patriarchal  beird  and  massive 
frame,  slightly  stooping,  but  with  a 
still  keen  eye,  and  the  sonorous  voice 
of  his  strong  willed  youth. 

He  was  a  captain  in  the  State  Mi- 
litia for  years  and  always  active  in 
puldic  atiairs,  but  perhaps  he  was  best 
known  in  the  county  as  an  auctioneer, 
l)eing  in  great  demand  for  years  as  a 
"crier"  at  vendue  sales  of  farm  prop- 
erty. He  also  had  large  business  in- 
terests in  Jordan,  N.  Y.,  and  for  a 
series  of  years  made  weekly  visits  to 
that  place. 

After  the  infirmities  of  age  com- 
pelled him  to  desist  from  active  labor, 
he  became  an  omnivorous  reader,  and 
few  men  had  a  more  thorough  know- 
ledge of  current  events,  at  home  or 
abroad  than  he,  or  could  talk  more  in- 
terestingly up  to  the  day  of  his  death 
at  the  age  of  92  years. 

There  is  but  one  of  the  children  of 
this  old  pioneer  now  living  here,  E. 
Deming,  and  but  few  of  the  name 
Bnardman,  but  there  are  numerous 
descendants  still  residents  of  the  town 
and  county,  and  many  more  scattered 
from  Maine  to  California. 


The  Sanderson   Family 


James  Sanderson,  Sr. 

James  Sanderson,  Sr. ,  was  born  in 
Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1796,  and  lived 
there  till  18 17,  when  he  moved  to 
New  York  city.  He  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  six  years  in  Newark 
at  the  cabinet  furniture  trade.  After 
working  for  a  time  at  his  trade  in 
New  York  he  went  to  Newburg,  and 
from  there  he  started  with  three  dol- 
lars in  his  pocket  for  Junius,  Seneca 
county,  then  comprising  what  is  now 
the  towns  of  Junius,  Tyre,  Waterloo 
and  Seneca  Falls.  Just  how  long  he 
remained  here  is  not  known,  but  he 
attended  a  prayer  meeting  over  in 
Cayuga  in  1819,  walking  thereby  the 
bridge  at  Bridgeport.  Soon  after  this 
he  returned  to  New  York  city  by  way 
of  Albany.     At  Albany  he  sailed  on  a 


Mrs.  James  Sandefsoti,  Sr. 

{Mary  Day) 

sloop,  and  it  took  three  days  to  reach 
New  York. 

Soon  after  this  he  joined  the  Mul- 
berry Street  Baptist  church  (Dr.  Mc- 
Clay,  pastor),  and  Mary  Day  joined 
at  the  same  time.  In  this  manner  he 
became  acquainted  with  his  wife,  and 
they  were  married  in  1820.  Nine 
children  were  born  to  them,  all  reach- 
ing manhood  and  womanhood.  James 
Sanderson,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Eliza- 
beth street.  New  York  city,  August 
3,  1 821;  Elizabeth  Shoemaker  was 
born  in  1823;  Sophia  in  1S25;  William 
in  1828;  Henry  in  1830,  in  Seneca 
Falls;  George  in  1833;  Mary  in  1835; 
Hannah  Smith  in  1838  and  Anne 
Taylor  in  1841.. 


66 


Mr.  and  Airs.  James  Sanderson,  Jr. 


In  May,  1829,  James  Sanderson, 
Sr.,  and  family  packed  up  their  few 
belongings  and  took  passage  on  the 
steamer  "Swift  Sure"  for  Albany.  At 
that  place  they  took  passage  on  a 
canal  boat,  which  arrived  in  Seneca 
Falls  after  ten  days. 

During  this  pas.sage  James,  Jr., 
fell    overboard    into   the    canal    and 


James,  Sr.,  had  to  jump  in  after  him. 
The  landing  was  made  near  the  site 
of  Goulds  shop.  On  leaving  the  boat 
they  came  to  what  is  now  Sharp's 
corner.  On  the  opposite  corner  was  a 
blacksmith's  shop,  run  iby  Samuel 
Bradley,  and  he  lived  on  the  other 
side  of  Fall  street,  opposite  the  FJpis- 


LOfa 


67 


copal  church.  The  village  tavern  was 
where  the  Stanton  house  now  is. 

The  lot  now  occuj)ied  by  Mrs.  Beck 
was  built  upon  b}-  Jvdward  S.  Latham, 
and  one  of  the  buildings  was  used  as 
an  engine  house.  The  lot  opposite 
the  Stanton  house  was  built  upon  by 
Judge  Garrj'  V.  Sackett  in  1816. 

It  was  called  Mechanic's  hall,  and 
was  burned  down  man}-  years  ago. 
Fall  street  then  was  under  the  control 
of  the  "Turnpike  Company."  They 
owned  to  the  river  on  the  south  side. 
A    few   small  buildings  were  put   up 


That  house  was  moved  to  South 
Park  street,  and  is  now  a  part  of  the 
hou.se  Mr.  Thomas  lived  and  died  in. 
Mr.  Horace  Silsby  made  that  little 
house  his  first  residence  before  there 
was  any  addition  to  it.  The  old 
tavern  was  kept  by  H.  H.  Goodwin, 
who  was  C.  L.  Hoskins'  second  wife's 
father.      Mr.  Goodwin  died  in  1S42. 

The  old  tavern  was  moved  to  Chapel 
street.  It  now  stands  on  the  south 
side  of  the  street,  the  fourth  house 
west  from  Walnut  street. 

James    Sanderson,     vSr. ,     bought    a 


House  Corner  of  Troy  and  Chapel  Sts 


opposite  where  the  Exchange  bank 
now  is  and  west  of  Mechanic's  hall. 
When  the  Turnpike  Compan}-  ceased 
to  exist  the  lots  were  all  taken  up  on 
the  south  side  by  the  river.  Where 
the  Partridge  block  now  stands  was  a 
saw  mill  built  down  close  to  the  river. 
There  was  no  dam  there  then.  To 
get  to  the  mill  there  was  a  road  along 
the  the  bank  of  the  river,  commenc- 
ing opposite  Addison's  shoe  store 
The  two  roads  left  a  strip  of  land  on 
which  was  a  house,  opposite  Van 
Kleek's  corner. 


honse  and  lot  of  Silas  Dean  Mumford, 
the  next  hou.se  west  of  Goodwin's 
tavern,  for  which  he  paid  $600.  The 
next  building  west  was  owned  by  John 
Isaacs,  who  kept  a  general  store. 
Soon  after  he  purchased  the  Mumford 
hou.se  the  Isaac's  store  and  several 
house  west  were  burned.  He  bought 
the  Isaac  site  and  put  up  a  two-storj- 
frame  building  for  a  furniture  store. 
This  site  is  now  occupied  by  Addi- 
son's shoe  store. 

The  Exchange  National  Bank  now 
stands   where   the    Sanderson    house 


68 


was  built,  and  the  Teller  store  stands 
where  the  lawn  and  gateway  were  be- 
tween his  house  and  the  furniture 
store. 

About  1854  he  became  tired  of  busi- 
ness and  sold  his  store  to  J.  C.  Vree- 
land  and  his  house  soon  after  to  the 
National  Exchange  Bank.  He  then 
purchased  the  house  on  West  Fall 
street,  now  owned  by  Thomas  Law- 
rence, and  lived  and  died  there  in 
1873.  His  wife,  Mary,  survived  him 
thirteen  years. 

In  the  year  1886  three  of  the  daugh- 
ters died  —  Elizabeth  Shoemaker, 
Sophia  and  Ann  Taylor.     Henry  died 


Augustus  Gould  on  State  street,  now 
occupied  by  Stephen  Monroe.  About 
1874  he  traded  this  place  for  Thomas 
Magee's  farm  at  Magee's  Corners. 
After  trying  to  farm  it  for  two  or 
three  years  he  came  back  to  Seneca 
Falls  and  resumed  the  furniture  and 
undertaking  business  in  Concert  hall 
on  State  street.  From  here  he  moved 
his  business  to  the  Fenn  block,  now 
the  McCartin  building.  In  1885  his 
sons,  William  and  Charles,  purchased 
the  business  and  moved  it  over  into 
the  Partridge  block,  where  they  re- 
mained till  burned  out  by  the  great 
fire   of  1890.     After   the  fire  Charles 


House  on    West  Fall  Street 


in  Cisco,  Col.,  in  1867.  George  was 
wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Shiloh  and 
died  in  Cincinnati  May  14th  1862. 

James  Sanderson,  Jr. ,  married  Char- 
lotte McGraw  in  1846  at  McGrawville. 
After  living  there  and  at  Cortland  he 
moved  to  Seneca  Falls  in  1856,  and 
took  up  the  furniture  and  undertak- 
ing business  which  his  father  had 
started  in  1829.  He  purchased  a 
house  of  his  father  at  the  corner  of 
Chapel  and  Troy  streets,  and  now  oc- 
cupied by  George  W.  Edds.  His 
father  and  he  set  out  the  large  elm 
and  maple  trees  that  are  now  there. 

In    1866    he    traded    houses    with 


continued  the  undertaking  business 
at  his  present  location  on  State  street. 
James  Sanderson  is  still  living  at  his 
residence  212  West  Fall  street;  Wil- 
liam resides  with  his  son  in  Iowa; 
Mary  lives  with  the  Taylor  children 
in  Rochester;  Hannah  Smith  resides 
in  Waterloo,  N.  Y. 

James  Sanderson,  Jr.,  had  a  family 
of  three  children — Louise  Ganoung 
and  William,  born  in  Cortland,  and 
Charles  in  Seneca  Falls,  all  of  whom 
are  now  living.  He  and  his  wife 
celebrated  their  60th  wedding  anni- 
versary in  March,  1906. 


The   Swaby   Family 


Captain  John  Haigh. 

The  coming  of  Mr  Frederick  Bad- 
ioli  Swaby  with  his  wife  and  their 
sons  to  America  was  due  to  the  influ- 
ence of  his  father-in-law,  Captain  John 
Haigh,  an  officer  in  the  33rd  Infantry 
of  the  British  Army  for  forty  years, 
who  served  under  Burgoyne  and  was 
taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  York- 
town.  He  was  so  well  treated  during 
his  imprisonment  in  America  that  he 
became  interested  in  the  republic,  and 
after  the  death  of  his  two  sons  who 
were  officers  in  the  battle  of  Water- 
loo, both  families  landed  in  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  September  1821.  Between 
that  city  and  a  farm  in  Espy,  Colum- 
bia county,  Pa.,  they  divided  their 
time  winter  and  summer.  Captain 
Haigh  sent  his  two  unmarried  daugh- 
ters to  a  school  in  Aurora  on  Cayuga 


Lake,  New  York  state,  kept  by  a 
Quakeress,  Susan  Marryatt.  It  was 
there  that  Judge  Gary  V.  Sackett  met 
and  won  his  second  wife,  Harriet 
Haigh  in  1S26  Frederick  John, 
Swaby  visited  liis  aunt,  Mrs.  Sackett 
in  1828,  al.so  in  1830  and  '32.  At  that 
time  the  farm  on  Cayuga  street  was 
all  woods. 

In  1843  occurred  the  death  at  Judge 
Sackett 's  house  of  Dr.  Thomas  H. 
Swaby,  second  son  of  Mr.  F.  B-  Swaby, 
a  young  man  of  twenty-six  years,  who 
was  then  practicing  in  Seneca  Falls 
•  In  1845,  Mr.  Swaby  gave  his  son 
Frederick  J.  Swaby,  the  farm  on  Cay- 
uga.street,  to  which  he  moved  with 
his  father  and  family  April  1846 
This  tract  was  originally  owned  by  a 
Land  Company  of  which  Col.  Wilhel- 


Frederick  J.  Swaby. 


70 


mus  Mynderse  was  agent.  It  was 
sold  to  a  Mr.  Grant  of  Northumber- 
land Co.,  Pa.,  on  account  of  its  plas- 
ter quarries.  He  cleared  the  land  and 
erected   mills. 

In  1834,  the  present  front  of  the 
house  was  built  by  Col.  Mynderse  for 
a  residence  but  he  died  before  moving 
into  it.  Then  it  was  sold  to  Mr.  Sam 
uel  Bayard,  who  made  some  additions 
to  the  rear,  planted  pine  trees,  «&c. 
He  did  not  pay  for  this  place,  there 
being  a  mortgage  of  $15,000  held  by 
Mrs  Goodwin,  mother  of  the  late  Mr. 
Edward  Mynderse. 


December  1846,  Frederick  J.,  married 
Miss  Jessie  Johnston,  daughter  of  Mr. 
John  Johnston,  a  Scotchman  and 
noted  agriculturist,  who  introduced 
tile  draining  into  this  country.  His 
farm  was  on  the  east  bank  of  Seneca 
Lake  opposite  Geneva,  and  is  now 
owned  by  Mr.  Charles  R.  Mellen. 

In  the  spring  of  1847,  Mr.  F.  B. 
Swaby  moved  with  his  wife  and  sons, 
Joseph  James,  John  Haigh,  and  Wil- 
liam Arthur,  to  the  house  since  owned 
by  I  he  late  Mr.  Hiram  Burt  on  Bayard 
street 

Joseph  James,    was   given    a   farm 


Home  of  the  late  Frederick  J.  Swaby. 


When  the  New  York  Central  wished 
to  go  through,  it  was  obliged  to  buy 
the  farm  to  obtain  a  clear  title, 
purchasing  it  at  sheriff's  sale.  Mr. 
Bayard  held  the  farm  at  $150,000. 
The  New  York  Central  intended  to 
have  its  station  on  this  farm,  and 
drew  stone  for  it  at  about  the  head  of 
Johnston  street,  which  was  part  of  the 
south  boundary  line. 

The  New  York  Central  held  this 
farm  for  several  years,  when  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  road,  Mr  Gibson  of  Can- 
andaigua,  sold  it  to  Mr.  Frederick  J. 
Swaby  on  the  i6th  ot  June,  1845,  ^^ 
taking   possession   April,    1846.      In 


near  Monroeville,  Huron  Co.,  Ohio, 
in  1842.  He  died  a  bachelor  in  Nov. 
1903,  in  Seneea  Falls. 

John  Haigh  Swab}^  went  into  busi- 
ness in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  about  1854, 
and  died  a  bachelor  May  1891,  in 
Seneca  Falls. 

William  Arthur  Swaby  became  a 
practicing  phjsician  in  Seneca  Falls 
in  1852  and  married  in  June  1S58, 
Miss  Amelia  Gould,  eldest  daughter 
ot  the  late  Mr.  S.  S.  Gould.  There 
were  four  children  of  ths  marriage. 
Amelia  Gould,  who  died  in  Februarj', 
1869;  Joseph  James,  William  Arthur 


71 


and  Alice,  who  married  Mr.  James  M. 
Knapp. 

William  Arthur  Swaby,  M.  D., 
died  in  January,    i8S8. 

Mr.  Frederick  Badioli  vSwaby  was 
born  on  the  island  of  Jamaica,  W.  I., 
in  1 79 1,  his  father,  Joseph  James 
Swaby  being  governor  of  the  island. 
His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Anne 
Badioli,  whom  his  father  married  in 
London,  Eng.  Mr.  F.  B.  Swaby  was 
educated  in  England  and  during  the 
years  1805-06,  was  a  scholar  in  the 
school  near  Barnet  Castle  in  York- 
shire, described  in  amusing  carica- 
ture by  Dickens  in  his  novel  Nich- 
olas Nickleby  under  the  name  of 
Dotheboys    Hall.        Mr.    Swaby   was 


perhaps  the  last  survivor  of  that  in- 
stitution. P'rom  there  he  was  sent  to 
F,ton.  lie  married  Ann  Ilaigh  in 
Eton  Chapel  in  June,  181 3,  Mr. 
Swaby  died  in  Seneca  Falls  Novem- 
ber' 1875,  and  Mrs.  Swaby  in  July, 
1848. 

Frederick  John  Swaby  died  July, 
1 90 1,  and  his  wife,  Jessie  Johnston 
died  February,  1893. 

There  were  four  children  of  this 
union,  Anne  B.,  John  J.,  F'rederick 
B.,  and  Jessie  J. 

John  J.  Swaby  died  October,  1872; 
Jessie  J.  Swaby  died  December  1899. 
Anne  B  and  Frederick  B.  Swaby  are 
still  in  the  family  home. 


Thomas    Carr 


Thomas  Carr  was  born  in  L'eds, 
England,  in  1807  He  came  of  a  good 
old  middle  class  familv  and  traced  his 
ancestry  back  many  generations.  He 
received  his  education  »t  the  Ripin 
Grammar  school  from  which  he  gr«d 
uated  nt  an  enrly  age  Throuiih  the 
loss  of  his  father  the  fnniilv  became  re 
dnced  in  cjrcnmstances  and  Mr.  C'lrr 
was  apprenticed  to  a  London  iron- 
monger, served  his  apprenticeship  and 
obtained  a  share  in  the  business  of  his 
employer.  Seeing  no  bright  outlook 
for  the  future  in  the  land  of  his  birth, 
he  decided  to  come  to  America,  and 
sailed  in  the  spring  of  1836,  spending 
seven  weeks  in  making  the  journey 
from  Liverpool  to  New  York. 

Mr.  Carr  was  interested,  for  a  time, 
in  a  farm  and  brewery  located  at  the 
Kingdom,   and   afterward    bought    of 


Mr.  H.  C.  Silsby  the  building  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  Thomas  B. 
Sharp  &  Sons.  He  kept  a  private 
ho'el  and  restaurant  of  the  old-frtsh- 
ioned  kind  in  the  Ovid  street  part  of 
the  building  and  rented  thu  store  on 
Frtll  street  to  Keiili&Tjler,  fashion- 
able merchnnt  tailors. 

Ill  1856  Mr.  Cirr  bought  and  re- 
built the  Clinton  House,  now  the 
Hoag,  which  he  called  Carr's  Hotel. 
The  building  was  hurriedly  coniplet»^d 
and  thrown  open  to  the  pub  ic  on  the 
ociiHsion  of  a  firemen's  tournament, 
which  took  place  sometime  during  the 
sumtni'r  of  that  year  In  1866  he  sold 
out  to  Mr.  Milton  Hoag  and  retired  to 
private  life. 

Mr.  Carr  vpas  an  American  citizen  to 
all  intents  and  purpost'S  and  closely 
identified  hiinswlf  with  all  matters 
connected  with  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion. He  was  esiiei'iaily  interested  in 
all  affiirs  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of 
th"  village;  served  many  terms  on  the 
board  of  trustees  and  was  chief  engi- 
neer of  the  fire  department  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  was  street  commis 
sioner  when  the  village  park  was  laid 
out  and  set  out  many  of  the  old  trees, 
some  of  which  were  cut  down  when 
th'^  park  was  put  in  condition  for  the 
erection  of  the  Soldiers'  Monument. 
He  also  had  something  to  do  with  the 
laying-  out  of  Res'vale  Cemetery, 

A  though  very  quiet  and  unassum- 
ing, Mr.  Carr  was  very  strong  in  his 
opinions  and  convictions;  he  vvas 
deeply  interested  in  all  the  leading 
topics  of  the  day,  was  widely  read  and 
possessed  a  most  remarkable  memory. 
He  died  in  the  spring  1890  m  the 
eighty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
totally  blind  for  the  last  twelve  years 
of  his  life  and  was  a  marvelous  ex- 
ample of  patience  under  affliction 
During  this  period  his  well  stored 
memory  was  a  source  of  much  comfort 
both  to  himself  and  to  his  family. 


\A/.   B.   Lathrop 


Mr.  William  B.  Lathrop,  the  vet- 
eran dry-goods  merchant,  was  born  in 
Homer,  Cortland  county  in  1816,  the 
oldest  of  the  sixteen  children  of  Cur- 
tis and  Roxy  Lathrop.  His  early 
life  was  spent  there  and  in  Lockport 
and  he  attended  school  at  the  Homer 
Academy.  In  1837  Mr.  Lathrop  came 
to  Seneca  Falls  to  enter  the  employ 
of  his  uncle,  Erastus  Partridge  in  the 
dry-goods  business  and  became  a 
member  ot  his  family.  He  assisted  in 
planting  the  stately  trees  which  adorn 
the  lawn  of  the  Partridge  homestead 
now  owned  by  Mrs.  Caroline- Cook. 
Mr.  Partridge  carried  on  the  business 
on  the  site  of  the  Lathrop  store. 
After  clerking  a  few  years,  Mr.  La- 
throp went  to  Montezuma  to  take 
charge  of  a  branch  store  started  there 
by  Mr.  Partridge;  he  remained  there 
fourteen  years  until  Mr.  Partridge 
sold  this  and  several  other  branch 
stores  he  had  in  operation  to  enter  the 
banking  business.  During  this  time, 
Mr.  Lathrop  married  Miss  Harriette 
Elizabeth  Palmer,  the  daughter  of 
Dr.  Noyes  Palmer,  a  prominent  physi- 
cian and  politician  of  Cayuga  county. 


Mr.  Lathrop 's  reminiscences  of  those 
days  are  of  the  happiest  nature.  The 
little  town  of  Montezuma  boasted 
many  families  of  wealth  and  culture 
and  the  social  life  was  most  delight- 
ful. Travel  was  by  packet  on  the 
canal  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lathrop 's 
wedding  trip  began  on  the  packet 
boat.  After  leaving  Montezuma,  Mr. 
Lathrop  returned  to  Seneca  Falls  and 
soon  after  bought  out  Mr.  Partridge. 
The  dry  goods  business  of  those  days 
was  very  different  from  that  of  the 
present  day  and  included  hardware, 
wooden-ware,  groceries,  medicines, 
and  nearly  everything  from  a  musical 
instrument  to  a  necktie.  On  assum- 
ing the  business  Mr.  Lathrop  dis- 
carded the  general  features  and  de- 
voted himself  exclusively  to  dry- 
goods.  The  big  fire  of  1859  burned 
his  stock  and  building;  he  was  well 
insured  and  immediately  rebuilt. 
Some  years  later,  Mr.  Thomas  B. 
Baird,  who  had  been  clerking  for  him 
for  many  years,  became  his  partner 
and  remained  so  until  1873,  when  he 
opened  the  Baird  Dry  Goods  Store,  a 
few  doors  below.  Mr.  Lathrop 's  son, 
Romeyn  P.  Lathrop  became  partner 
then  and  has  been  at  the  head  of  the 
business  since  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Lathrop  in  1902.  Among  the  faithful 
clerks  in  the  Lathrop  store  were  J.  V. 
Palmer,  Endelmer  Brown  and  John  S. 
Casey,  who  each  served  for  a  long 
term  of  years. 

Mr.  Lathrop  and  family  have  re- 
sided on  Cayuga  street  since  1864  in 
the  residence  purchased  of  Washing- 
ton Race.  Mr.  Lathrop 's  latter  jears 
have  been  saddened  by  the  death  of 
his  wile  in  1894  and  his  only  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Harriette  Utley,  who  died  in 
1904  Mrs.  Lathrop  was  actively  in- 
terested in  her  husband's  business 
and  for  many  years  accompanied  him 
regularly  to  New  York  to  assist  him 
in  purchasing  goods,  showing  rare 
taste  in  the  selection  of  the  same. 
Mr.  Lathrop  is  now  enjoying  a  well 
earned  rest  after  his  long  and  honor- 
able business  career  and  at  the  ripe 
age  of  ninety  years  is  in  fairly  com- 
fortable health. 


A\atthe\A/     Sisson 


Mathew  Sisson  was  born  at  Ports- 
mouth,  Rhode  Island,  December  20th, 
1800.  He  was  a  son  of  Pardon  and 
Mary  Slocum  Sisson.  His  father 
was  a  farmer,  and  in  this  occupation 
of  tilling  the  soil  he  spent  his  boy- 
hood and  early  manhood  years.  Like 
other  boys  of  that  day,  he  enjoyed 
very  limited  advantages  for  educa- 
tion. The  schoolhouse,  small  like 
the  teacher  who  served  at  the  desk, 
furnished  instruction  in  the  elemen- 
tary branches,  sometimes  fair  but 
more  often  poor,  and  this  only  for  a 
few  months  of  the  year.  Of  religious 
instruction,  aside  from  moral  teach- 
ing in  the  home,  he  received  very  little 
that  was  of  help  to  him.  The  Sun- 
days, usually  the  most  instructive  of 
the  week  to  the  young,  in  the  words 
from  the  pulpit  and  in  the  lessons  of 
the  Sunday  school,  were  largely  lost 
to  him,  for  his  parents  were  of  the 
Quaker  persuasion,  and  when  he  at- 
tended the  meetings  it  was  quite  like- 
y  to  be  a  service  of  silence  unless  the 


spirit  moved  someone  to  speak,  and 
then  the  chances  were  that  the  talk 
would  be  of  that  vague  and  visionary 
character  that  would  convey  no  defi 
nate  impression  to  his  mind.  Of 
music  he  was  fond,  but  for  the  study 
of  it,  vocal  or  instrumental,  there  was 
nothing  in  his  environment  to  en- 
courage his  taste.  He  loved  books, 
but  these  were  very  scarce,  and  the 
few  he  could  obtain  were  read  over 
and  over  until  he  conld  almost  repeat 
them  from  memory— indeed,  asaboy, 
his  po^er  of  retention  was  early  de- 
veloped and  in  later  years  often  as- 
tonished his  friends  when  unexpect- 
edly he  would  come  out  with  a  store 
of  information  The  weekly  paper 
that  came  into  the  home  was  of  the 
current  country  type,  made  up  of  ad- 
vertisements and  little  nothings  — 
probably  once  in  a  while  containing 
.some  importani  facts  with  comment 
that  impressed  itself  indelibly  upon 
his  mind. 

On  reaching  manhood  he  went  to 
Belchertown,  Hampshire  county. 
Mass.,  and  there  married  Miss  Sarah 
Atwood.  In  1825  he  moved  to  Caze- 
novia,  N.  Y.,  but  remained  there  only 
a  short  time,  soon  removing  to 
Georgetown,  Madison  county,  N.  Y., 
where  he  leased  a  part  remaining  of 
that  famous  baronial  estate,  called  the 
Muller  farm,  originally  comprising 
three  thousand  acres,  upon  which  had 
been  erected  a  fine  mansion  with  all 
the  means  of  defen.se.  and  with 
grounds  laid  out  in  the  most  exquisite 
taste.  Here  had  fled  for  safety  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  P'rench  revolution  a 
noted  .French  reiugee;  here  with  large 
means  he  lived  quietly  but  in  elegant 
style  with  his  servants  to  wait  upon 
him  under  the  plain  name  of  Muller. 
After  the  overthrow  of  Napoleon  he 
returned  to  France,  but  soon  met  with 
a  violent  death.  The  real  personality 
was  carefully  concealed,  but  facts 
afterwards  disclosed  led  to  the  almost 
certain  conclusion  that  the  famous 
sojourner  was  the  Duke  du  Berri.  son 
of  Count  d'Artois,  later  Charles  X. 

In  this  home  of  singlar  associa- 
tions, upoil  this  farm  now  reduced  to 


75 


some  two  hundred  acres,  Mr.  Sisson 
remained  for  several  years.  There  he 
cultivated  the  soil  and  raised  crops, 
but  upon  the  whole  the  land  was  bet- 
ter adapted  for  stock,  inducing  him 
to  give  his  attention  to  raising  honses, 
cattle,  sheep,  etc.  The  surplus  of 
these  he  drove  to  the  Albany  market. 
It  required  several  days  to  make  the 
journey.  The  roads  were  poor  and 
the  progress  slow  until  he  with  his 
droves  could  get  on  the  highwa3S  im- 
proved by  the  state.  Part  of  the  time 
he  followed  .his  stock  on  foot  and 
when  wearied  he  would  take  a  little 
rest  in  the  old,  crude  wagon.  But 
those  were  dajs  when  any  conveyance 
was  a  real  comfort,  when  things  gen- 
erally' were  in  a  primitive  state,  when 
the  huge  fireplace  was  the  feature  of 
the  home  and  horse  and  man  were  re- 
quired to  draw  in  the  great  log  and 
place  it  on  the  rough  irons.  It  was  a 
time  when  the  clothing  worn  was 
home-spun  and  woven,  all  made  by 
hand  and  in  the  evenings  by  the  light 
of  tallow  candles. 

In  1839  Mr.  Sisson  moved  to  Sene- 
ca Falls,  N.  Y. ,  purchasing  the  home 
of  Mrs  Judith  Green,  a  mile  west  of 
the  village,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  malt  and  beer.  It  was  a 
a  new  direction  of  effort,  suggested 
most  probably  by  the  fact  that  this 
was  a  region  productive  of  barley  and 
hops  and  offered  special  advantages 
along  this  line.  For  years  he  carried 
on  a  large  business,  supplying  eastern  ' 
breweries  with  malt  and  the  villages 
of  Seneca  Falls  and  Waterloo  with  his 
beer.  Of  his  beer  it  can  be  said  that 
it  was  pure  and  contained  none  of  the 
harmful  ingredients  that  now  fre- 
quently enter  into  this  beverage.  The 
place  where  he  lived  is  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Wm.  Sweet  of  Waterloo,  on  the 
bluff  just  east  of  the  Kingdom  bridge, 
overlooking  the  river  or  outlet,  in 
view  of  the  old  tavern  and  the  consid- 
erable settlement  that  once  promised 
to  be  a  sharp  rival  to  other  places  on 
the  state  road  between  the  lakes. 
There  he  could  see  the  boats  moving 
up  and  down,  the  stage  coach  as  it 
passed  along  with  its  four  horses,  and 
the  packets  as  they  glided  along  in 
their  holiday  attire  with  the  decks 
packed  with  passengers.    Only  a  mile 


north  of  his  home  he  could  see  the 
smoke  of  the  first  steam  cars,  and 
when  the  first  train  passed  through, 
he  remarked  that  it  was  like  tempting 
providence,  and  with  many  others  de- 
clared that  the  government  would 
soon  put  a  stop  to  this  trifling  with 
human  life. 

Mr.  Sisson  was  a  Whig,  a  firm  ad- 
vocate of  its  principles  of  free  men 
and  free  soil  He  was  not  a  politician 
nor  an  office-seeker.  His  ideal  public 
man  was  Webster  and  many  of  the 
great  speeches  of  this  great  statesman 
he  could  repeat  from  memory.  He 
had  his  views  and  could  give  good 
reasons  for  them.  Sometimes  politi- 
cal leaders  would  interview  him, 
thinking  they  could  easily  influence 
him  in  line  with  their  purpose,  but 
they  found  usually  that  they  had 
make  a  mistake,  that  he  possessed  a 
store  of  facts,  a  knowledge  of  men  and 
measures,  far  ahead  of  their  own,  and 
acted  only  upon  his  own  judgment. 

He  made  no  religious  profession, 
but  respected  all  who  made  their  re- 
ligion the  rule  of  their  life.  He  was 
kind  and  thoughtful  of  others,  up- 
right and  honorable  in  his  conduct 
and  had  no  patience  with  anything 
tricky  or  dishonest- 

He  had  two  sons,  Capt.  B.  F.  Sis- 
son, who  died  at  Belle  Plain,  the  sec- 
ond 3'ear  of  the  civil  war,  and  Edward 
E.  Sisson  who  died  in  Seneca  Falls  in 
1S60.  The  sons,  like  the  father,  were 
of  splendid  physique,  tall  and  strong 
men.  Of  the  daughters,  Mrs.  Mary 
E.  Alleman  is  a  resident  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio;  Miss  Charlotte  A.  Sisson  died 
in  Seneca  Falls  in  1842;  Miss  Sarah 
L.  Sisson  is  a  resident  of  SanAntonio, 
Texas.  The  wife,  Sarah  Atwood  Sis- 
son died  in  i860 

A  grandson,  Mr.  William  C.  Sisson, 
son  of  Capt.  B.  F.  Sisson,  resides  in 
Seneca  Falls.  There  are  two  great 
grandsons,  Mr.  John  A.,  and  Mr. 
Carl  B.  Burtless. 

The  last  twelve  years  of  Mr.  Sis- 
son's  life  was  spent  quietly  in  our  vil- 
lage in  the  home  of  one  of  his  child- 
ren. He  was  the  oldest  of  thirteen 
children,  four  of  whom  reached  their 
ninetieth  year.  In  his  ninety  second 
year,  he  passed  away,  retaining  up  to 
the  last  possession  of  all  his  mental 
facilties. 


\A/.   R.    Po\A/ell 


-  The  ancestors  of  the  Powell  facuily 
lived  in  the  state  of  Massachusetts. 
Jeremiah,  the  grandfather  of  Winches- 
ter R.  Powell,  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Boston  in  1750.  As  a  young  man  he 
had  enrolled  in  the  minute  corps  that 
rendered  valiant  service  at  Concord 
and  Lexington.  He  was  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  at  Saratoga  in  Octo- 
ber, 1777  and  witnessed  the  sur- 
render of  the  British  forces.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Sales,  by  whom  he  had 
seven  children,  Asa,  Pardon,  Lydia, 
William,  Philo,  Archibald  and  Liberty. 
After  the  war,  in  About  1787  he  settled 
in  the  town  of  Uiica,  N  Y.,  when 
that  city  had  hardly  a  score  of  houses, 
buying  in  what  now  is  called  Whites- 
town,  a  farm  of  100  acres,  upon  which 
he  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his 
life,  dying  at  the  age  of  103  years. 
His   son,   Pardon   Powell,  was  born 


in  Bellingham,  Mass  ,  June  29th,  1783. 
He  married  Samaniha  Roberts  of 
Cheshire,  Mass.,  and  settled  at  Cftze- 
novia,  N.  Y.,  where  he  erected  a  flour- 
ing mill,  conducting  it  successfully  up 
to  his  death  which  ocourrc  d  in  his  27'h 
year  He  left  two  children,  Winches- 
ter R.  and  Cornelia  D.  Powell.  Cor- 
nelia D.  married  Col.  Thomas  M. 
Davies  of  Uiica,  N.  Y.,  who  was  prom- 
inently connected  with  the  military 
service  of  the  si  ate. 

Winchester  R.  Powell  was  born  in 
Cazenovia,  N.  Y  ,  January  18lh,  1807, 
and  in  1833  married  Anna  Baldwin  of 
Utica.  N  Y.  Right  after  his  mar 
riage  he  removed  to  Sene  a  Falls,  N, 
Y  ,  and  in  the  fallowing  year  built  the 
brick  house  on  West  Bayard  street 
where  he  lived  all  his  life  For  the 
first  few  years  after  coming  here,  he 
employed  his  time  as  a  builder  and 
architect,  but  in  about  1887  he  became 
interested  in  business  enterprises. 
The  old  oil  mill  at  the  head  of 
Sackett's  race,  afterwards  convert- 
ed into  a  paper  mill,  was  bought 
by  him  at  this  time  and  a  sash 
and  blind  factory  started  The  call 
for  the  articles  was  large,  both  here 
and  abroad,  to  furnish  the  homes  that 
were  being  erected.  The  work  was 
mainly  done  by  hand,  little  machinery 
having  been  devised  for  facilitating  the 
manufacture.  The  enterprise  was  an 
important  business  feature  of  our  vil- 
lage. Associated  with  him,  in  the 
sash  and  bliud  business,  was  Walter 
Jones,  also  for  a  time  John  S.  Gay. 
Mr.  Jones  died  in  1845.  when  the 
partnership  was  dissolved.  In  the 
meantime  the  property  had  been  so 
seriously  damaged  by  great  freshets, 
that  it  was  deemed  inadvisable  to  re- 
store it  In  consequence  th^  property 
was  sold,  becoming  a  part  of  Cowing 
&  Go's  works,  and  then  Mr.  Powell 
bought  the  foundry  lot  on  the  north 
side  of  the  upper  level,    known   as  the 


MoClary  property.  There  after  erect- 
ing suitftblfi  buildings  he  resumed  the 
fash  nud  b'ind  business,  taking  in  Mr. 
Georgfi  Milk  as  a  pnrtner.  Mr.  Milk 
in  a  few  years  sold  out  and  removed 
to  Auburn,  J\.  Y.  Thence  f  rward  Mr. 
Powell  conducted  the  business,  con- 
tinuing in  it  up  to  within  a  few  years 
of  his  death.  For  fifty  years  he  was 
was  active  in  the  nffiirs  of  the  pi«c", 
conducting  a  large  business,  highly 
esteemed  for  his  worthy  qualifies  and 
public  spirit 

He    was  a   member   of   the   Baptist 


11 


church,  devoted  to  its  interests  and  con- 
tributed liberally  to  the  erection  of  the 
present  church  edifice 

He  died  a»  his  residence  on  Bayard 
street  in  1887 ,  in  his  80th  year. 
Of  his  marriage  to  Anna  Baldwin 
there  were  five  children,  Aurelta 
A.,  William  F.,  Chsries  W.,  Ed 
ward  B  and  Henry  C  Powell.  Those 
surviving  nre  Aurelia  4.,  (Mrs,  M. 
O'Neil)  who  lives  at  the  old  home- 
stead at  Bayard  street.  Charles  W. 
Powell  and  William  F.  Powell,  the  last 
residing  in  Califor-.ia. 


EXCHANGE  NATIONAL  BANK 


OF  SENECA  PALLS,  N.  Y. 


Capital, 


$100,000.00 


OFFICERS— Milton  Hoag,  President;  Seabury  S. 
Gould,  ist  Vice-President;  Lansing  S.  Hoskins,  2nd 
Vice-President;  A.  R.  Palmer,  Cashier;  Charles  A. 
Hawley,  Attorney. 

DIRECTORS-Paul  B.  Kendig,  Clarence  H.  Wil- 
liams, Milton  Hoag,  C.  A  W.  Becker,  A.  R.  Palmer, 
H.  S.  Gould,  M.  V.  Seymour,  L.  8.  Hoskins,  Corne- 
lius S.  Hood. 


Established  1875. 

National  Advertising  Company 

SENECA  FALL*:,  N.  Y. 
ADVERTrSI  IVJC3     O IM     \A/OOD 

THE 

SENECA  FALLS 

SAVINGS    BANK 


OFFICERS: 


Edward  W   Addison,  President 

Fred  Maier,  Jr.,  ist  Vice-President 

I  T.  J.  Yawger,  2nd  Vice-President 

Peter  Trautman,  Secretary  and  Treasurer 

M.  E.  Trautman.  Asst.  Secy,  and  Tteas. 

Clarence  A   MacDonald,  Attorney. 


THOMAS  B.  SHARP  &  SONS 

DRUGGISTS 

And  dealers  in  WALL  PAPER   and   Window  Shades 
63.65  FALL  STREET. 

RUMSEY    &    CO. 

Limited 
MANUFACTURERS  OF 

Hand,  Power  and 

Electric  Pumps 

FOR  ALL  PURPOSES. 

Seneca  Falls.  -  N.  Y. 


STORY       <&        STROINCS 

MARDNA/ARE 

Plumbing  and  Heating,   Stoves   and  Ranges.     House 
Furnishing  Goods,  Paints,  Oils,  Etc. 


No.  70  FALL  STREET, 


SENECA  FALLS. 


The    State    Bank 

Of  Seneca  Falls. 


WII.MOT  P.  ELWEIvL,  President; 
WALDO  G.  MORSE,  Vice-President; 
THOMAS  W.  POLLARD,  Cashier. 

FRED  MAIER 

DEALER  IN 

Coal,  Wood  and  Lumber 

FALL  STREET,  SENECA  FALLS. 

Mrs.  3.  Beck 

Fire  Insurance,  Real  Estate 

We  make  a  specialty  of  Collecting,  Renting, 
and  take  entire  charge  of  Estates,  Farms  and 
Dwellings.  If  you  have  anything  to  sell  we  can 
dispose  of  it.     If  you  want  to  buy,  consult  us. 

—Dealer  In— 

Pianos,     Organs,     Sewing     Ma- 
chines,   Furniture. 

82  FALL  ST.,  SENECA  FALLS,  BOTH  PHONES 

HEflliD  St  FORBES 

men's  pupnisbings,  Hat:s  and  Caps 

CUSTOJVI   TfllUOHIflQ 
130  Fall  Stpeet,  Seneea  palls,  fl.  Y, 

GOULDS  MFG.   COMP'Y 

MANUFACTURERS    OF 

Pumps,     Hydraulic     iVla= 

chinery,  Triplex  Power 

Pumps,  Etc. 


SENECA   FALLS. 


NEW  YORK 


GEO.  B.  DAVIS 

Central  Drugstore 

75   Fall  Street,  Seneca  Falls,   N.  Y. 


A.  M.  FELTUS 


t 


127-129  FALL  STREET 

Women  and  Children's  Ready  to 
Wear  Apparel. 


Mrs.   E.   M.  Cox-Fralick 

FINE   JVimLilfJERY 

HND   lifltJIES'    FUt^NISHlNG    GpODS 

Seneca  Falls. 


GEORGE  &  CO. 

— Dealers  in — 

FRESH    AND    SALT    MEATS 

Poultrj',  Fresh  Eggs,  Sausage  and  Frankforts 
SENECA  FALLS. 


T.    B,   BAII^D 

Dry  Goods,  Carpets,  CloaKs,  Suits 


SENECA  FALLS. 


VOSBURGH    &    CORY 

Tine  footwear 


Ife  FALL  STffEET, 


SENECA  FALLS 


Established  in  1873  and  Still  Here.     Call  and  see  us  at 

THE  BOOK  STORE 

ROBERT  COOK  WAYNE 

BOOKSELLER  and  STATIONER 


CARR  «fe  WHITNEY 

Manufacturer  and  Dealei  in  all  kinds  of 
HARNESS,  TRUNKS.   BAGS,  ROBES,    BLANK- 
ETS, WHIPS,  BELTS,  GLOVES,  MITTENS. 
SENECA  FAUIiS. 


HENRY  W.  l^ADDEl^ 

JEWELER  and  OPTICIAN 

SEfJECfl    FAUliS,    fl.    Y. 


^be  IFDoao 


C.  M.  BILLS,  PROP. 


SENECA     FALLS 


EVERYTHING   MODERN 
RATES  $2.00   AND  $2. 50. 


WH-LIAMS    &    SON 

JEWELERS 


SENECA    FALLS, 


NEW   YORK 


J.   H.  ANDERSON 

Dealer   in 

DRV    riOnn^       '"^^'^y    Goods,     Gloves 
^^  ^      OV^V^L-ZO,         Hosiery,  Notions. 

SENECA  FALLS,  N.  Y. 


T/ic  KENTON  HAT  STORE 

\V.  y.  MA  CKIN,  Manage.r 
Dealers  in  HATS,  CAPS,  GENTS'  FURNISHINGS 

TRUNKS  AND  BAGS. 
No.  81  Fall  Street, 


Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y. 


CLARY   BROS. 

CLOTHIERS 

SENECA  FALLS  and  WATERLOO. 


AND  GENTS' 

FURNISHERS 


THE  FAIR  ■^"'%^f1iiw7  ^'°'' 
A.  5.  Hughes,  Prop. 

"Everything    Under    the    Sun— LTnder    Price." 


MISS  MARY    MORAN 

FINE  MILLINERY 

139  Fall   Street,  Seneca  Falls 


Newspapers,  Cigars,  Toilet  and  Fancy  Ar- 
ticles.     137  Fall  Street,  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y. 


LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS 


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